


Lucy and The Olympians

by GreatFlame



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angels, BAMF Lucy Heartfilia, Demons, Gen, Lucy Leaves Fairy Tail, New Magic, Poor Lucy, Twelve Gods of Olympus (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:08:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 28,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29627487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreatFlame/pseuds/GreatFlame
Summary: Ancient mages that ruled Earthland centuries ago have inexplicably been revived and Lucy is unknowingly swept up into the raging storm that they brought with them. And if she is going to save her friends and possibly the world, she will have to find an inner strength, and push herself further than ever before. But how will she fare against the onslaught of gods, demons, and angels?
Relationships: Laxus Dreyar/Lucy Heartfilia, Natsu Dragneel/Lisanna Strauss, Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

In a dense forest located in the west of Fiore, Mikkel was sitting on the ground in the clearing where his family lived in a cabin.

He was currently focused on making a flower bloom with his newfound magic. Mikkel pushed back his straight dark green hair out of his face with one hand while the other hovered over the flower bud slowly opening. Sweat beaded up on his skin and he licked his lips expectantly, this was the closest he had gotten to succeeding since he had started practicing.

“Mikkel! I told you and your brother to get me firewood an hour ago! Best you go now before your dad gets back!” His mother’s shrill voice shattered his concentration causing the magic seal under the flower to shatter as well.

Mikkel groaned and thought about saying something back but decided against it considering his mother had already chased him around with a wooden spoon for talking back earlier that week. He stood up, brushing his sweaty palms against his worn brown trousers and turned to his little brother who was feeding a squirrel a few feet away.

“Come on Sam!” He said as he began to walk towards the familiar trail in the woods he had been on hundreds of time. His little brother pet the squirrel, seeming to talk to it before he stood up, and ran to catch up to Mikkel.

Sam was practically the spitting image of Mikkel when he was younger other than his mint green hair compared to Mikkel’s dark green but they couldn’t be different personality wise. His little brother had always been so reserved and gentle to contrast Mikkel’s more turbulent personality but they were still able to get along.

“How was your friend Rocco today?” Mikkel asked referring to the squirrel that his brother had befriended as he kicked a small rock farther down the trail. His brother had swore that it wasn’t just different squirrels every day when Mikkel had suggested it.

Sam frowned and he cocked his head to the side as if he were confused. “He was okay but he was worried about something, he told me to be careful.”

Mikkel kicked the rock again as they caught up to it and then paused. Sam took a few steps before he noticed that Mikkel stopped and he turned back to look at him. Mikkel kneeled down and looked at his brother in the eyes, two ice blue stares meeting each other. “There’s nothing to worry about Sam, nothing happens here you know that.” He assured his brother and mussed his hair before rising and continued on the trail.

As if sent by a higher being to prove him wrong, a loud boom resounded throughout the forest sending flocks of birds into the air. Mikkel and Sam flinched, he grabbed his brother close to him as he looked back down the trail. Dread filled him as he realized that the sound came from the direction of their home. Him and Sam traded a look before they both went running back to the clearing.

Mikkel and his brother emerged from the woods in a flurry, and immediately skid to a stop, shocked at what they saw.

A dark olive skinned woman was sitting on the ground. Her head whipped side to side along with her waist length brunette braid with silver strands mixed in, a bewildered expression on a face that Mikkel could only describe as ageless. He openly gaped at the woman, she looked some sort of queen by the way she was dressed. A flowing white silk dress cinched with what seemed to be a solid gold chain that matched the many bracelets that adorned both her arms, each encrusted with a multitude of jewels, and gold charms of heart and stars decorated throughout her hair.

Mikkel knew he wasn’t the best judge considering he lived such a secluded life but there was no doubt in his mind that he would probably never see a woman as beautiful as her again.

Her eyes which were the color of amber locked with his and he gulped, overwhelmed at the intensity of them and the years he sensed behind them.

“You, boy, what year is it?” She said with an authority of someone who was accustomed to a leadership role.

“What year?” Mikkel said in a perplexed tone, thrown off by the question.

Sam step forwards and answered in his stead. “It’s X784.” He answered.

Surprisingly, the woman started to giggle, a pleasant and silvery sound that slowly evolved into a full laughing fit full of mirth and lasting long enough for tears to spring up in the corners of her eyes. She wiped them with the back of one of her hands as she her laughter died down.

She stood up, a sight that sent Mikkel’s heart racing as it revealed a slit in her dress that travelled all the way up to her upper thigh, exposing more olive skin along with what looked to be a pearly white tattoo of a symbol Mikkel had never seen. It looked to be an “O” except it didn’t connect on the bottom, instead it split and turned outwards either way.

“I’m going to need new clothes and directions.”

* * *

**Magnolia (A Month Later)**

The sun was setting in the beautiful town of Magnolia. The town’s stone buildings were cast in a pink glow as the sun descended behind the horizon. Cutting through the town at multiple points was a canal that would empty out into the sea past Hargeon Town to the south, walking beside this canal, absent of the boats that usually filled it, was a blonde girl and a creature that looked like a snowman.

Lucy Heartfilia sighed as she undid the blue cloth holding her side ponytail, her signature hairstyle. Her spirit, Plue, wobbled next to her. “Puun.” He said as he almost fell into the river from trying to catch up to her. He put an arm on her leg and looked up at her.

Lucy looked down at Plue and smiled sadly. “I hope you’re right Plue.” She said as memories of the day before filled her mind.

* * *

**Flashback**

It was a week after Magnolia had returned from its adventure to Edolas and there was a lot to celebrate for Fairy Tail, the strongest guild in Fiore, and prized possession of Magnolia. Most Important of all the reasons was the return of Lisanna Strauss, the sister of Mirajane and Elfman, who was presumed dead years ago after her sudden disappearance.

In typical Fairy Tail fashion, Lisanna’s return party had been just as noisy, merry, and spirited as expected. Maybe more so this time considering the party had lasted almost a week now. The only time that Fairy Tail was quiet was the early morning and Lucy was determined to use these quiet hours to get back to work. The rant that her landlord had given her the day before about her rent being overdue still ringing through her head as she climbed the steps up to Fairy Tail and opened the door.

She winced at the state of the main hall of the guild, furniture and bodies were strewn across the floor. Hungover mages stumbled around as if they were zombies, nursing headaches and nausea with anything available.

Lucy made her way to the board filled with pinned jobs that any Fairy Tail mage could take, stepping over a passed out Cana, and past a puking Alzack to reach her destination. Once there, she looked over the available missions, vetoing anything that was too far away, didn’t get enough money, or required finesse considering how destructive her team was known to be.

Finally, one stood out to her:

**Dark Guild Activity in Rosewood**

****Recently there have been multiple disappearances of our villagers and we believe it may be connected to a dark guild. Please send help as soon as possible before more villagers end up missing!  
Reward: 100,000 J** **

“That seems perfect! Natsu, Gray, and Erza can beat whoever it is up, and I’ll be able to pay off my rent!” Lucy thought and ripped the paper off the board.

She walked over to the bar where Mirajane was cleaning dishes and mixing together homemade hangover cures for the mages that were awake. The white-haired mage smiled at Lucy once she saw her sit down at the bar. “Good morning Lucy!” She exclaimed cheerily, much to the ire of the mages around her. Mira turned around and began to throw strawberries and bananas into a blender.

Lucy smiled back as she laid the paper out on the bar table in front of her, watching as Mira added milk and ice to the blender. “Good morning to you too Mira.” She said at a lower volume and slid the paper across to Mira. “Can you sign off on this mission for Team Natsu?” Lucy asked over the sound of the blender’s blade grinding the ingredients together.

“Of course, Lucy!” Mira said as she poured the pink blend into a cup and setting it down in front of Lucy.

“Is your rent due soon?” Mira asked, her eyebrow raised and a questioning look on her face.

Lucy sighed and took a quick sip of her strawberry banana smoothie before answering. “Unfortunately, yes. How did you know?” Lucy asked.

Mira stamped the bottom of the piece of paper approving the mission for Team Natsu, a safeguard put in place so no one took a mission that would be too dangerous for them. It worked…most of the time.

“The only time you don’t get dragged on a mission by Natsu and Happy is when you’re dragging them on a mission to pay your rent last minute because a certain someone spent all their money on clothes.” Mira explained with a teasing tone and Lucy’s face reddened.

“That may be true but this time I have an excuse! Between Edolas and the weeklong party for Lisanna I’ve had no time!” Lucy exclaimed and Mira teased her a little more before someone else called for the barmaid’s attention.

Lucy swiveled her stool around and watched as people filtered in and out of the guild as she absentmindedly sipped on her smoothie . The buzz of conversation slowly got louder and louder as more mages woke up or arrived. Eventually, in the crowd she spotted a familiar shock of blue hair and quickly got up from her stool, and rushed over. As she got closer, she was able to see her target properly in the crowd.

“Levy! Good morning!” Lucy said and watched as her friend’s face lit up once she saw the blonde coming towards her. The petite Solid Script mage had her hair tied up with an orange bandana, as usual, and was wearing an orange tank top, black denim cut offs, and simple leather sandals. It was never an unusual sight to see Levy with books and today was no different, she was carrying a stack of book precariously teetering back and forth.

Levy returned the greeting and Lucy rushed to help her best friend, taking a few books off the top of the stack and helping her over to a table where she could set them down. The two friends settled into casual conversation, talking about books they were reading, gossiping about embarrassing things their guild mates had done over the past few days, and just generally enjoying each other’s company.

Eventually Lucy saw, well, rather heard Natsu entering the guild hall. She glanced over at the pink haired dragon slayer and couldn’t help but smile at his rambunctious nature. She also couldn’t help but notice that he arrived with Lisanna. Lucy’s focus had drifted from her conversation with Levy and she quickly snapped her attention back to her friend who didn’t seem to have noticed Lucy’s inattention. “… Isn’t it so romantic, Lu? Childhood crushes reunited after all those years! Using every waking minute to catch up on lost time.” Levy swooned and sighed with a dreamy look in her eyes.

Lucy frowned and wondered how the conversation had led there. “You really think Natsu and Lisanna are that close?” She asked, fidgeting uncomfortably on the table. She had noticed that he was spending a lot of time with Lisanna and less time with her but that wasn’t out of the ordinary considering the circumstances.

Levy cocked her head to the side and followed Lucy’s gaze to the Dragon Slayer and Takeover mage. “I was talking about a book I think you’d like Lu.” She looked back at Lucy and grinned, reaching over to place her right hand over Lucy’s. “Besides everyone knows Natsu is crazy about you, he’s practically your loyal puppy dog.” Levy teased and giggled when Lucy started to blush from the comment.

Lucy’s hand shot out from under Levy’s and she covered her face with both of them. “Natsu loyal? He doesn’t follow anything I say! And what do you mean ‘everyone knows’!” Lucy’s voice was muffled behind her hands. Lucy felt her cheeks heating up even more at Levy’s giggling. Lucy brought her hands down and stuck out her tongue childishly at her friend before standing up quickly. “Maybe you should stop worrying about the boys who like me and more about the ones that like you.” Lucy shot back.

The blonde pointedly looked behind Levy and her friend turned around to see what Lucy was looking at, letting out a tiny yelp when she saw a certain Iron Dragon Slayer walking towards her. “Good luck.” Lucy waved goodbye at her friend and smirked at her gaping face as she left Levy alone with Gajeel.

By now Fairy Tail was back to normal, people were yelling, dancing, fighting, and laughing. The noises blending together to create a comforting cacophony for all of the members of the guild. Lucy was quickly able to spot Natsu, Elfman and Happy dancing goofily on a table, Gray, Erza, and Lisanna stood next to the table cheering them on.

Lucy weaved her way through the crowd and once she neared the table, Gray called out a greeting to her quickly followed by everyone else around the table. “Hey everyone! I have great news for Team Natsu, I found a mission that sounds perfect for us!” Lucy announced cheerily and handed the paper to Erza.

Erza nodded along as she read the piece of paper. “That is a great idea Lucy! It’s about time we get back to normal and start going on jobs again.” Lucy smiled at her scarlet haired friend; she had always admired the woman deeply. Along with being one of the most powerful mages Lucy knew, Erza was also an awe-inspiring leader for both Team Natsu, and the guild as a whole.

“You heard the women Flame Brain, stop embarrassing yourself up there and get ready.” Gray said as he stripped off his shirt and dodged a fireball from Natsu at the same time. Lucy shook her head fondly at his antics. The Ice Make mage was another who she had come to respect and love deeply. He had welcomed her with open arms into Fairy Tail and was always there to cheer Lucy up when she needed it.

Happy jumped down from the table into Lucy’s arms. “Hi Lushy!” The blue exceed greeted as he nuzzled into the blonde’s chest.

“As annoying as the little guy can be, I can’t imagine life without him anymore.” Lucy thought as she held the cat-like creature.

“I’ll go…” Natsu jumped down from the table and landed next to Lisanna, throwing his arm around her shoulder as he continued. “…As long as Lisanna comes along with us!” Natsu finished and looked at Lisanna expectantly.

Lucy smiled faintly at the scene, knowing exactly how Lisanna must’ve been feeling at the moment. More so than anyone else, Natsu had become synonymous with home for her. He was her best friend, her savior, her partner through thick and thin, and she treasured what he had given her greatly.

Lisanna started to refuse but the combined efforts of Natsu and Happy were able to convince her to agree with Natsu’s request. “Are you sure Lisanna?” Elfman asked as he too climbed down from the table with a concerned look on his face. It made sense to Lucy why he would feel cautious considering he had just got his sister back after years and years of thinking she was dead.

Lisanna nodded vigorously. “Of course, Elfman I survived in Edolas all those years, I’m sure I can survive a simple mission.” She said and gave a reassuring smile to her brother.

“And we would never let anything happen to her, right Luce?” Natsu asked and his gaze shifted to the blonde. Lucy gulped but quickly smiled and nodded her agreement.

And just like that the newly expanded Team Natsu was on their way to Rosewood, a small town about an hour east of Magnolia by train. They all filed into the train, Lucy, Gray, and Erza squeezing into the booth on one side and Lisanna and Natsu sitting across the table which Happy stretched out.

Natsu groaned as the train whistle shrieked throughout the station, telling the passengers it was time for departure. There was the familiar sound of the gears grinding against each other as the train began to move and on cue as always, Natsu slumped over from intense motion sickness. His head fell back against the seat and slowly inched down until gravity led it straight into Lisanna’s lap.

Lisanna just giggled and began to absentmindedly play with Natsu’s pink hair. The Dragon Slayer groaned in contentment at the soothing sensation. Gray was amused, as always, at Natsu’s achilles heel, and made a snide remark that Natsu quickly rebutted with a childish comment. This of course led to a full-blown argument with Erza playing referee and Happy acting as an instigator. Lucy tuned her teammates voices out to just a buzzing in the background as she looked out the window and admired the landscape flashing by.

It was a beautiful day, the sun shining down on hills covered in lush green forests that was undoubtedly the home of many animals and magical creatures. It made for a lovely train ride and Lucy barely noticed the how long the it took before they arrived at their destination.

The Fairy Tail mages disembarked from the train, Gray having to allow Natsu to lean against him for support, and made their way into Rosewood.

They were met with the usual bustle of a town in the middle of the day. People running this way and that, merchants pestering travelers and locals alike, carriage drivers shouting at pedestrians to move out of the way. All of it blended together to become a very familiar sight. Lucy began to wonder why a dark guild would target a place such as this one when they tended to go for smaller villages with less people. Her musing was cut short as she heard Erza calling to her. Everyone in her group was already ahead a few paces and looking back at her expectantly.

“Sorry! I’m coming.” Lucy hurried down the steps and jogged towards her friends but just as she neared them, she accidentally bumped into someone hard enough to send them both falling to the ground.

Lucy closed her eyes and braced for impact but was pleasantly surprised when she felt a hand grab her arm and pull her up. She opened her eyes and saw Natsu smiling at her. “Still as clumsy as always.” Happy taunted while floating above Natsu’s right shoulder.

Lucy stuck her tongue out at the blue exceed before looking at who she ran into. Lucy openly gawked at the person currently sitting on the ground. They had to be one of the most beautiful woman Lucy had ever seen. Sun kissed skin, long legs, a curvy figure, full heart shaped lips, and wavy brunette shoulder length hair packaged in a stunning golden yellow silk dress that ended mid thigh. The brunette woman opened her almond shaped eyes, revealing brilliant amber pupils, and Lucy could have sworn she glared at her for a second before her features smoothed into a friendly smile.

Lucy quickly went over to offer a hand to help the woman up but she got up on her own, appearing to not even notice Lucy’s hand. Now that Lucy could get a closer look, she could make out freckles on the woman’s face, every one perfectly placed across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. Lucy felt her face heat up as the woman looked deep into her eyes for what seemed like an eternity.

“S-sorry I wasn’t looking where I was going.” Lucy sputtered and her eyes widened as she she looked down and saw an obvious dirt stain on the woman’s dress. “And your dress! I can pay you for the cleaning…eventually.” Lucy offered even though she could tell the dress could very possibly be worth her rent.

The woman shook her head, her hair bouncing hypnotically before she spoke in a singsongy voice. “Don’t worry about it.” She said as her gaze shifted to Natsu. Her smiled deepened into a flirtatious one. “I have to get myself a boyfriend like that. Seems so handy.” Lucy glanced over at Natsu and saw his face redden while he struggled to say something.

“I-it’s not like that.” Lucy tried to explain as she turned back towards the woman but found that she was talking to no one. The woman was already a few paces away and Lucy couldn’t help but admire the way she seemed to glide instead of walk, her hips swinging side to side smoothly as the crowd parted to give way to her.

“Well you don’t see someone like that everyday.” Gray commented, still staring at the woman’s retreating figure.

“Stop drooling Ice Brain.” Natsu said while he also ogled the woman.

Erza came up behind them both and grabbed their collars, starting to drag them in the opposite direction that the woman was going. “Let’s get going, the mayor is waiting for us.” She said in a forceful tone that invited no arguments.

Lucy looked over at Lisanna and Happy and shook her head while chucking lightly. “Let’s go before Erza drags all of us.” She suggested and Lisanna giggled while nodding before the three of them jogged to catch up to their guild mates.

As they walked through the wide pavemented streets, Lucy could easily see why the town was named Rosewood. In the middle of the road, a raised median was used as a garden that held every color of rose Lucy had ever seen along with some that she didn’t even know existed. Throughout the rose garden, admirers were leaning in to smell the flowers and she also spotted a mage watering the flowers with a spell that caused a small shower to rain down over them.

The crowd thinned out considerably as they travelled further from the train station. Eventually, the only ones walking the wide streets were the Fairy Tail mages along with a handful of pedestrians here and there. They reached a square where their street intersected another, separating the square into quadrants. Each quadrant was occupied by a lush field of grass and large rose gardens. In the center, stood a marble stature of man handing a delicately carved rose to a woman.

Directly in front of them was what they assumed was the town hall. The building stood out against every other due to its size and that it looked newly built compared to all of the others that showed the wear and tear of time.

A group of children were running around in the field to the Fairy Tail mages’ right, chasing each other with sticks until they saw Happy, and then they started to run after the exotic blue exceed. “Help me!” Happy shouted as he flew away from the kids trying to capture him while the rest of Team Natsu laughed.

Just as Lucy moved to go help Happy, the doors to the town hall flew open, and an older woman with graying hair dressed in a modest blue dress came out. “Stop bothering our guests, you brats.” She shook her hand at the kids chasing Happy. They skid to a stop and visibly paled at the sight of the old woman.

“It’s the hag! Everyone run!” One kid with a mop of light brown hair exclaimed and the group of kids bolted away in different directions. The woman shook her head and muttered something under her breath in an irritated tone as she watched the kids bolting away.

She turned to face the Fairy Tail mages, her frown deepening even more somehow. Lucy stepped forwards and opened her mouth to speak but the woman ignored her, turning around, and walking back into the building. “Well she seems lovely.” Lucy thought to herself.

The woman glanced back at the mages with an annoyed expression on her face. “Well are you coming?” She asked.

“Old bag.” Gray said under his breath while glaring at the woman’s back.

“What was that?” She asked without turning around and Gray quickly responded that he said nothing. Happy sputtered, holding a paw to his mouth as he tried to hold in a laugh, and Gray swiped at the exceed as the rest of the team entered the town hall.

Lucy and everyone else were led up a flight of stairs to a large double sided wooden door with ornate carvings decorating them. “The mayor will see you now.” The lady said as she opened the doors and ushered them in.

Lucy’s eyes widened as she took in the scene in front of her and went to cover her eyes with her hands. She heard a squeak come from Lisanna while Erza struggled to say something. A woman was sitting on a desk across the room and a man was standing as close to her as he possibly could, his hands pressed against the desk on either side of her as he leaned in.

“Mayor!” The old lady said in a shrill voice with her hands on her hips. The man, presumably the mayor, jumped and turned around quickly. He appeared middle aged with cotton candy pink hair slicked back, sea-foam green eyes, and a goofy smile. He was wearing a black pinstripe suit that with an impeccably clean white tie that matched his belt and shoes.

He cleared his throat a few times while adjusting his tie. He stepped to the side to reveal the person he was standing so close to and Lucy let out an involuntary gasp when she saw the gorgeous woman she had run into earlier. “I could’ve sworn her dress looked different…” Lucy thought. What she had remembered as a relatively modest summer dress now had a plunging v-neckline that exposed a generous amount of the woman’s cleavage.

The eccentric looking man finally got a hold of himself and stepped towards the mages, putting a hand on the woman’s shoulder while grinning brightly. “Why you must be the Fairy Tail mages! Your assistance is appreciated and couldn’t have come any sooner.” He bowed while spreading his free hand in a flourish. “I can take it from here, Isabelle.” He said, dismissing the older lady with a wave of his hand. She very visibly rolled her eyes and snorted as she left the room, closing the door behind her, and leaving the Fairy Tail mages with the mayor and the mystery woman.

The mayor took a few steps towards Team Natsu until he was standing in front of Lucy. “Let me introduce myself, I am Asher, the mayor of this humble town and this beautiful mage was just offering her help in this problem too. It will be great to have two beauties such as yourselves assisting us on this case.” The mayor winked at Lucy and grabbed her hand in a seemingly practiced gesture, leaning down to press a quick kiss against it.

The woman jumped down from her spot on the desk and walked over to Asher and Lucy. “She is a beauty isn’t she?” She asked rhetorically with a relaxed smile on her face. Lucy felt shiver travel down her spine as the woman’s gaze focused on her.

“I must get going Asher, darling. But it looks like you are in good hands.” The woman said and placed her hand on the mayor’s cheek in a caress.

“So nice to bump into you fine people again, maybe our paths will meet again.” She chimed as she glided past Lucy and her guild mates, patting Lucy and Natsu on the arm, and smiling warmly at Lisanna before leaving.

“There’s something so…off about her.” Lucy thought, still not able to shake the goosebumps she was feeling from the woman’s gaze.

Once again everyone seemed to be in a stupor from her presence, not noticing she had left until the banging of the door swinging shut shocked them all out of it. The mayor shook his head and his eyes widened when he saw the Fairy Tail mages as if he was seeing them for the first time again before his face relaxed back into the same grin he wore before.

“How rude of me, please sit!” The mayor gestured towards the couches that stood opposite of each other in the center of the room and while they were seating themselves, he walked over to a table behind his desk, and picked up a glass full of an amber liquid. Lucy sat on one couch with Erza, Gray, and Happy settled in her lap, and across from them Lisanna and Natsu sat together. Once they were settled, they introduced themselves as Asher poured the liquid into a smaller glass.

Asher walked back around to the front of his desk and turned to look at them as he started to brief them on the situation. “As I’m sure you know the request we sent, over the past few weeks, there has been a worrying increase in disappearances of our townsfolk with almost no clues as to why, and only one man returning.” Asher explained and then took a drink.

“Has the man who returned said anything about what happened?” Erza asked and Asher put the glass back down on the desk.

“Unfortunately not, the man who returned is different…” Asher sighed and took another drink, this time drinking long enough to finish the liquid and setting the glass down a little harder than last time.

Gray leaned forwards with his elbows against his knees. “Different in what way?” Gray asked.

“It’s hard to explain…it seems as if he has just gone mad. Another townsperson found him at the edge of the woods on the outskirts of town and since he’s been brought in, all he’s done is babble about nonsense like wine.” Asher said in a frustrated tone.

Something about what the mayor just said piqued Lucy’s interest but she couldn’t put her finger on it just yet. “Is it possible to go see this man?” Lucy asked and Asher nodded after a moment of thinking.

He led them out of his office and back down the stairs and then down another flight of stairs into a basement. Asher walked up to a wooden door and raised a finger to the lock, his fingertip started to emit a soft pink light, and Lucy heard a click. He pushed open the door and turned back to look at them. “It’s not a pretty sight.” He warned and motioned for them to step into a dark room

Lucy cautiously led her group into the room that was solely illuminated by the daylight filtering in from one window on the wall across from them. Asher summoned an orb of pink light that flew into a lacrima hanging above them, casting a glow over the entire room, revealing a disheveled looking man rocking on a cot. He was muttering something to himself too quietly for Lucy to make out the words.

“Patrick.” Asher said gently but the man seemed undisturbed by their presence. He said it once more in a firmer tone and the man abruptly stopped his babbling, turning to look at them, his eyes widening, and his lips working as if he meant to say something. The man had shocking green eyes that were glossed over as if the man wasn’t really seeing them and a mess of copper colored hair that matched his full beard. Lucy could see that he was normally a handsome man if not for the manic look in the eyes and unkept appearance.

Asher nodded at Erza and she approached the man slowly. “Patrick, we heard that you disappeared, can you tell us anything? Where did you go?” Erza asked gently.

Patrick seemed to be in deep thought for a few seconds before he began to speak. “I-I tasted the wine…I didn’t want to but I did.” His voice rasped out of his mouth. “I need more, I need more, I need more…” He trailed off, his voice cracking as he began to rock in a ball again.

Asher sighed and raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. Erza glanced back at everyone and Lisanna stepped up next. The white haired mage put a hand delicately on the distressed man’s shoulder. “Patrick did you see anyone else when you were gone.” She asked and was met with silence before all of a sudden the eyes snapped open, Lucy noticed that they were surprisingly clear and aware compared to a minute ago. He reached up with surprising swiftness and grabbed Lisanna by the shoulders, knocking her over, and kneeling over her.

“You! You were touched too! You were touched by one of them too!” He frantically shouted manically before Natsu grabbed the man and threw him against the wall. Lucy gasped as Natsu protectively stood over Lisanna and she could’ve sworn she heard him growl. And to her further surprise, Erza brandished a broadsword, pointing it towards Patrick, and Gray started to emanate a cold aura.

The man began to whimper as he put his hands over his head and Lucy hurried to stand in front of him, facing her friends. “What’s wrong with you guys? He’s obviously not well!” Lucy scolded her teammates. She had never seem them act so unnecessarily aggressive against an innocent like that.

Natsu stepped forwards too, a dark look clouding his face, and Lucy swallowed nervously. “What’s wrong with you, Lucy? He could’ve hurt Lisanna!” He said as Lisanna got up and clung to Natsu’s arm.

“Thank you so much Natsu.” Lisanna gushed and Natsu smiled down at her.

Lucy was completely dumbfounded but before she could say anything, Asher stepped in to interject. “Why don’t you all go back upstairs while Lucy helps me with Patrick?” He suggested but was said in a tone that said it was anything but a suggestion. The others filed out of the room, Natsu casting one more glare back at Patrick before leaving.

Lucy helped the mayor bring Patrick back to his cot, each taking an arm to guide him. And as they gently set him down, Lucy saw a strange green symbol on the man’s hand. It looked to be a ring of vines, intricately interwoven with each other. Lucy wasn’t sure exactly where but she had seen the symbol before. “Has Patrick always had this tattoo?” She asked the mayor, pointing it out for him.

Asher studied the symbol and shook his head. “Not that I can remember. Do you think it has something to do with his affliction?”

“I don’t know, just a hunch I guess. Have you had a healing mage come to check on him yet?” Lucy asked as they walked out of the room, stopping so Asher could close the door, and lock it with the same technique he used to open.

“We’ve had the local healer check on him but she wasn’t able to diagnose what was exactly wrong with him.” Asher explained as they walked back up and saw the rest of Team Natsu talking to Isabel who was grabbing a young boy, who Lucy recognized from earlier outside the town hall, by the ear.

Lucy nodded along absentmindedly. The symbol still bothered her. “We have a very talented healer in our guild. She’s gone on a mission right now but as soon as she gets back, I’ll ask her to come.” Lucy said.

Asher turned to her, grasped one of her hands in both of his, and kneeled down on one knee. “That would be wonderful! Thank you Ms.Heartfilia.” He said while bowing his head.

Lucy brushed off the gesture as best as she could, embarrassed at the grateful display. As soon as Asher rose, they joined up with her teammates and Isabelle who was in the middle of lecturing the young boy.

“…this is a matter for adults so let them handle it!” Isabelle finished, letting go of the boy’s ear. He scrambled away from her while holding his ear, glaring but obviously trying to hold back to tears.

“I’ll take it from here Isabelle.” Asher said as walked over to the boy and kneeled down so he was face to face with him. “Christian, these people are from Fairy Tail, the strongest guild around!” He said in an animated voice while he gestured towards Team Natsu. “And they’re going to try their hardest to find your dad and everyone else too, don’t you worry.” Michael’s sulky expression lightened considerably and Asher ruffled his hair before telling him to go play with the other children.

Asher stood up with a deep and weary sigh, turning to face the Fairy Tail mages with a somber look on his face. “That was one of the missing men’s son…He’s a rambunctious little rascal but he’s a good kid. He looks up to his father so much…I can’t break the news to him yet.” His hands started to shake and he clenched them into fists.

Natsu stepped up and slammed his right fist into his left palm, creating a tiny spark of fire. “And it’s our job to make sure you never have to! You can put all your face into us!” He roared in his usual tone, full of confidence. Lucy felt relieved Natsu seemed to be back to normal and nodded enthusiastically along with everyone else.

“You said Patrick was found in the forest right? Well I say we go explore.” Lucy said and Erza nodded in agreement.

Asher started to tear up. “Thank you, thank you so much.”

Isabelle sniffed and looked away to the side. “You Fairies are as proud as ever I see.” Her tone was severe but she wore a knowing smile.

They wasted no time in leaving the town hall in the direction of the woods. As they walked, Natsu and Lisanna lagged behind, stuck in what seemed like a very intimate conversation. Lucy walked ahead of them, following closely behind Erza, Gray, and Happy who were leading the way. “What was that all about earlier with Patrick? Even Erza and Gray were acting weirdly. And then what did Patrick mean about Lisanna being touched too? And something about that symbol still seems familiar. Nothing is adding up about this mission.” Lucy was lost in thought, contemplating everything that had happened that day, trying to piece it together, but failing every time.

Within about ten minutes, they had reached the edge of the forest, and it didn’t take long before they found the ruins Asher was talking about. The abandoned stone buildings were beginning to crumble from neglect and vines and moss grew over the stone. Most of the buildings could hardly be considered so anymore they were that derelict but there was one large stone building that was relatively intact.

Natsu charged into the building in typical Natsu fashion, dragging Lisanna along with him while Gray, Erza, and Lucy searched outside. After some time passed however Lucy started to get worried.

“They’ve been in there for a long time.” Lucy noted as she and Happy walked over to where Erza and Gray were crouching under a stone structure that resembled an arch.

“They have been, let’s go check on them.” Erza said and began to walk towards the building where Natsu and Lisanna had disappeared.

A shirtless Gray stood up from under the arch and stretched. “I don’t know we might want to give them a few more minutes. Don’t want to walk into something we don’t want to see.” Gray said suggestively and winked at Lucy who instantly began to blush.

“Shut up Gray! Stop being gross.” Lucy pushed Gray and he stumbled into the building, quickly disappearing in the dark entryway. “And put on your shirt!” The blonde exclaimed.

Happy flew up until he was face to face with Lucy with a familiar mischievous look on his face. “Is Lucy jealous?” He asked, holding the ‘s’ in ‘jealous’.

“You shut up too you damn cat.” Lucy swung at Happy but the exceed gracefully twisted in the air to avoid the blonde. Lucy chased Happy as he flew into the building ahead of her. Once the blonde entered, she slowed down, unsettled at how dark it suddenly became, and how quickly she lost sight of Happy. She called out for her teammates and was met with silence every time, the darkness weighing on her more and more every second that passed.

Now that Lucy eyes had adjusted to the sudden darkness, she could take in her surroundings. She was in a small room made completely out of stone, bare of anything except a doorway. Lucy noted the inside was significantly less run down than the outside of the building. Through the doorway, Lucy could see the soft glow of something up ahead. “Going down a creepy hallway with a light at the end? Just another day of being a Fairy Tail mage.” Lucy muttered to herself before taking a deep breath, inhaling through her nose and exhaling out her mouth.

Steeling herself, Lucy began to walk down the stone corridor towards the light. Continuing to call for her teammates as she went and getting no response every time. The only sound other than her voice was her boots clicking against the floor, adding to the frightening atmosphere. Eventually, Lucy was able to make out the source of the light at the end of the hallway.

“A lit torch…did Natsu light it?” Lucy wondered aloud and grabbed the torch from the wall. Using it to light the hallway as it turned sharply to the right. She turned to look back the way she came and was shocked to see that she couldn’t see the light from the entrance anymore.

“Something is definitely up.” Lucy said just as she heard growling coming from her right. She quickly turned towards the noise, holding up her torch to a passageway that she swore wasn’t there a moment before. More surprising than that, however, was what was in the passageway. Lucy opened her mouth but found she couldn’t even produce a scream due to cold terror that rushed through her body as the monster standing in front of her came into light. It was a gangly beast with disturbingly long bony limbs, the gray leathery skin was pulled tight against seemingly only bone, a lengthy tongue fell out from a mouth full of pointed teeth, and strangely it had no eyes or ears, only a smooth plane of skin where they would be.

The monster stood on two legs but was hunched over so far, its arms almost dragged against the floor. Lucy stood petrified as it tasted the air, its tongue swiping from side to side a few times before all of a sudden it shrieked, and leaped towards Lucy. Lucy barely registered the blade-like claws the beast had before her body reacted instinctively and dropped to the floor. Lucy heard what sounded like metal grinding against stone as the creature leaped over her and looked up to see a deep gouge in the wall to her right.

Finally, Lucy felt the adrenaline kick in, and gained the ability to move again. Not wasting a single second even to look back, the blonde began to run down the passage the monster was previously in. “You’ve got to be kidding, why me?” Lucy asked herself as she heard the piercing cry of the beast echo throughout the hallway again.

Lucy reached down to her belt, grasping for the metal ring that held all of her Celestial Spirit keys, and audibly gasped when her hand met nothing. She looked down, still running, and frantically searched for her keys. She cursed and her mind raced as her situation turned from bad to terrible. She glanced behind her and was surprised to see the monster running along the ceiling a few feet behind her, its claws digging into the stone.

Lucy stopped abruptly and turned around, raising and throwing the torch still in her right hand at the monster in one fluid motion. She turned back around and began to run again, hearing a shriek that implied the torch met its mark.

Lucy was barely able to see in the darkness but made out that the path branched to the left and right ahead. She quickly decided to go to the right and sighed in relief in when she saw that there was a door at the end of this hallway. She sprinted with every ounce of energy that she had left, ripped the door open, swiftly entering the room, and slamming the door shut. Looking around the room, she saw a bookcase to the right of the door and hurried to the side of it, pushing against it with all of her body weight, and slid it across the stone until it was blocking the door.

Once the door was barricaded, Lucy collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily as the adrenaline wore off. Once she caught her breath and felt her heart beating at a normal pace, she looked around fully. Lucy found herself in another small room, similar to the first one except this one had torches on every wall and candles on a table in the middle that illuminated the room. She also noted grimly that there were no other doors in the room.

The blonde stood up and began to pace as the full gravity of her situation set in. “Okay Lucy your teammates are missing, your keys are missing, you’re being chased by the scariest monster you’ve ever seen, and these ruins are unbelievingly intact for, you know, ruins.” Lucy said and groaned in frustration; she was so close to realizing the truth, but it eluded her whenever she got close to it.

Lucy’s intermission was interrupted by banging on the door quickly followed by the sound of wood breaking apart and the bookcase crashing to the floor. Lucy backed away to the opposite wall and reached down to grab her whip, surprised but not completely that it was her normal leather whip that she had lost in Edolas, and not the magic Flueve d’etioles that she was gifted from Virgo.

The monster climbed over the bookcase into the room, once again tasting the air just before its head whipped to face Lucy. She jumped out of the way as it leapt at her once again, diving to the side, and striking out with her whip. It let out an ear-piercing screech as the whip’s tip cut into its side. Purple blood began to ooze from the wound and Lucy took the monster’s distress as another opportunity to strike it. She scored another hit on its leg and felt accomplished enough to try again but this time it was ready and as soon as the whip got close, it was cut into pieces with one quick swipe of the beast’s claws.

Lucy cursed, throwing away the remnant of her whip, and was shocked to see that the wounds she had inflicted were already closing up. She looked over to where the door would’ve been, hoping to escape, and felt all hope leave her body when she saw that instead of the broken door, she saw a smooth stone wall.

And just like that it all clicked, it was if there was a haze on her mind that lifted, leaving her with one revelation. “I’m trapped in an illusion.” Lucy realized and in a flash of golden light, Loke appeared in front of her.

The lion Celestial Spirit raised his right palm towards the ceiling. **“O Regulus grant me your strength!”** Light coalesced into Loke’s palm causing it to glow and as the monster leapt towards him, Loke clenched his shining hand into a fist. **“Regulus Impact!”** Loke sidestepped the creature’s claws and slammed his fist into the grotesque face. As Loke’s fist connected, a roaring lion’s face made of light materialized and the creature was blasted away, slamming against the wall, and collapsing onto the floor.

Loke turned around and smiled warmly at Lucy. “Your knight in shining armor has arrived!” He winked and Lucy couldn’t find words to sum up her relief so she just hugged Loke as tightly as she could. “Hugs from Lucy are the best!” Loke swooned and returned the hug just as tightly.

“How are you here?” Lucy asked as they separated.

“You’ve been trapped in an illusion of your own mind but through the connection that Celestial Spirits share with their mage, I was able to come here once you realized this is all fake.” Loke explained and put a hand on Lucy’s shoulder. “You need to break out of this, Lucy. Close your eyes, focus on what’s real, remember why you came to these ruins. This illusion magic is strong, but I know you’re stronger.” Loke reassured her.

Suddenly, the monster started to move again, slowly standing back up. “Just focus Princess!” Loke said one last time as he turned around to fight the beast again.

Lucy wanted to help but reminded herself it would be pointless to. Instead she sat down on the ground, crossing her legs, and closing her eyes. She breathed in and out, focusing on her inhale and exhale, and began to feel something like being lost deep down in an ocean, unconsciously floating. She tried her hardest to follow Loke’s instructions. “This is all fake…I’m in the ruins with my team…We’re here to save the Rosewood villagers…This is all fake…” Lucy repeated this mantra over in over in her head and began to feel control enter her body, instead of floating through the water, she was now kicking and pulling frantically, bringing herself closer and closer to the surface.

Something was trying to pull her back down, getting stronger the closer she got to the surface, but she fought against it with every ounce of her strength. “This is all fake!” Lucy thought one last time as her head broke the surface and she took a breath of air.

Lucy’s eyes shot open as she took a deep breath in. She was in a dilapidated room made of stone with moss covering it. Multiple parts of the ceiling had collapsed, letting in moonlight to bathe the room in its glow. She was propped up against a wall with the rest of Team Natsu, Erza to her right, and Natsu to her left. Lucy noted that they had their eyes open and disturbingly they were completely black as if the pupil had swallowed everything up.

Lucy’s attention was quickly drawn to the center of the room where a huge finely carved wooden table was standing. On either side people were laughing, shouting, dancing, and drinking what Lucy could only assume was some strong alcohol from bronze chalices.

At the head of the table to her left, sitting in a throne like wooden chair, was a man that Lucy could tell was the mastermind behind all of this. He was a fair-skinned man with mostly straight shoulder length auburn hair that curled slightly at the end, had crystal clear honey colored eyes that were glossed over, and was wearing an ecstatic smile that scrunched his face. He was dressed in a white toga draped over one shoulder, exposing half of his slender yet toned pale chest, simple brown sandals, and what seemed to be a crown made of vines was tangled in his hair. Overall, he had a thrown together at the last minute look but somehow that didn’t detract from his attractiveness, it added to it.

A woman’s irritated voice suddenly broke through the noise of the partying drinkers. “Can you shut your fanatics up so we can talk like civilized adults!” Lucy instantly recognized the voice and turned her head to the right to see the woman in the yellow dress sitting on the other end of the table in another throne-like chair. Her arms were folded over her chest and she wasn’t smiling for once, instead her lips were set in an unamused line.

The man answered in a raucous voice while raising a golden chalice with deep purple gems encrusted in it that overflowed with a dark red liquid. “Drink a lil’ bit! Have some fun! Since when were you all business and no fun?” He said and the woman slammed her hands against the table suddenly, the many expensive looking bracelets running up her arms clinking together.

“We both know why! And we both know it’s better that I’m here rather than someone else.” She seemed to imply something important to the two of them and the man’s mood instantly seemed to dampen, the grin he wore on his face disappeared.

He snapped his fingers and all of a sudden the loud ruckus quieted as the people’s mouths shut closed and they sat back in their chairs, not moving a muscle as if they were turned to stone. “You make a compelling point.” He said and stood up from his throne slowly.

The woman glanced side to side at the frozen people and grimaced. “So creepy. Your magic has always been a little too over the top for me, I prefer a more…subtle approach.” She said and the man let out a humorless laugh.

“All I’m hearing you say is that I’m the stronger and more fun one.” He said teasingly as he rounded the table towards the woman. “Before we get down to business, looks like we have a very rude spectator who hasn’t introduced themselves.” His gaze fell on Lucy and she jumped. She quickly scrambled to her feet as the woman’s eyes went to her too, an unreadable expression on her face.

The woman stood up too and went to stand by the man. “And there’s the cherry on top.” She said in a flat voice.

The man’s right eyebrow quirked up as he looked at Lucy and the woman. “You know this girl?” He asked and the woman’s face twisted in a forced smile.

“Just can’t seem to get rid of her today.” She answered.

Lucy felt her face heat up from frustration as the two looked at her. ‘I need to take action!’ Lucy thought as she reached down for her keys.

Lucy raised a golden key as she chanted a familiar phrase. **“Open Gate of the Lion, Loke!”** A brilliant light flashed throughout the room and when it died down, Loke was revealed.

“Good job breaking out of the illusion, Lucy. Now, let me handle this part.” Loke said with a smirk as he step forwards and adjusted his tie.

The woman cocked her head to the side, looking as if she was examining Lucy all over again for the first time. “What a handsome Celestial Spirit.” The woman said and sent a flirtatious smile at Loke.

The lion spirit started to grin goofily and he waved at the woman. Lucy slapped him on the shoulder. “Focus Loke! These guys are bad! Attractive woman included.” She admonished him before turning her attention back to them. “Who are you guys and what are you doing with these people?” Lucy asked in the most demanding tone she could muster.

The woman completely ignored her and turned to her companion. “I would stay and help but umm…I don’t want to, this is your mess, and I’m not really dressed for the occasion.” She giggled with an amused expression on her face. “I’ve finished my pitch anyways. Don’t forget the city of Dahlia in a week, I hope to see you there.” She grabbed his chin and looked at him intensely as she continued, all pretenses of amusement long gone. “For your sake and mine...but mostly for yours.” She finished.

With that remark, the woman started to saunter towards Lucy. Loke stepped protectively in front of her and the woman waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry lion man like I said I’m not dressed for a fight.” Lucy stepped around Loke and faced the woman, trying hard to meet her deep, probing gaze with one of her own.

Without warning, the woman raised her right hand and rested it on Lucy’s left cheek. Her hand was surprisingly warm against Lucy’s cheek and for some reason she felt herself growing calmer as soon as it made contact. “Good luck. Let’s have a drink together next time.” She said and before Lucy could react the brunette walked past her, exiting the ruin through a gaping hole in the wall behind Lucy, her figure quickly getting swallowed up in the darkness of the woods.

“Why is the bad guy wishing you good luck?” Loke asked, still keeping an eye on the other man who was blankly staring in the direction the woman disappeared.

Lucy shook her head, a bewildered expression on her face as she answered. “I have no idea.” Lucy couldn’t piece together anything about what had happened today ever since she had bumped into that woman.

Her attention focused back on the man as he walked back to the throne he was sitting in before and picked up his chalice. He tipped his head back, downing the contents of the chalice in gulps before setting it back down. He wiped the line of wine dripping down from his lip with the back of his hand before speaking. “Usually I’d be down to party with you guys for a while but I’ve been put into a bad mood. Your friends will show you out.” He snapped his fingers again.

Lucy reached down to her belt and activated her Flueve d’etoiles, the stream of water ringed with gold snaked down and coiled at her feet, ready to bend and strike at her will.

“Stay back Lucy we still don’t know wh-.” Loke cut himself short as he glanced over at Lucy and promptly tackled her to the ground, rolling with her so she ended up splayed on top of him. Lucy raised her head and saw a sword floating where she had been standing and paled when she also saw Erza standing in her Heaven’s Wheel Armor, raising a sword towards her and Loke.

Lucy heard Loke yell her name faintly before she was thrown to the side again, she felt herself roll and then she quickly got to her knees in time to see lances made of ice descend on Loke with a crash.

“Loke!” Lucy scrambled to her feet and without thinking ran the few paces over to Loke. She dropped to her knees next to him. He was already kneeling with one fist against the ground to support him. His suit was torn in multiple places and he was bleeding from various cuts but other than that he didn’t seem to have any major injuries.

“I hate to say it but I think we should run, Lucy.” He said between labored breaths, focused on something in front of him. Lucy tore her eyes from her spirit to look at what he was focused on and froze at the sight. Erza, Gray, Natsu, and Lisanna were standing in a line in front of them, all with their magic activated and blank expressions on their faces.

The swords that floated around Erza started to sail towards them and Lucy quickly struck out with her whip, the magic weapon wrapped around the hilt one of sword as Lucy whipped it to the side, making it collide with another sword that clattered uselessly to the ground. Lucy continued to maneuver her whip, keeping the flying swords at bay.

Loke took the opportunity to get up and rush at the possessed Fairy Tail mages. **“O regulus grant me your strength!”** Loke chanted as light coalesced into his palm. His hand curled into a fist and magic blasted from his hand into the ground, causing it to crack and crumble.

The Fairy Tail mages scattered while jumping out of the way, distracting Lucy enough for a sword to slip through her defense and score a shallow cut on her side. Lucy let out a hiss of pain as she pressed her free hand to her side, backing away slowly. She saw Loke turn and make a move as if to come back to her side but his eyes widened when his feet were suddenly encased in ice that began to snake up his legs.

“Watch out Lucy!” He called, pointing to her right where Natsu was standing before the ice completely covered Loke. Lucy could feel Loke go back into the Celestial Spirit Realm as she tried to side step away but her feet became trapped in ice too, unable to break out as Natsu stepped forwards, and opened his mouth in a very familiar way. His cheeks puffed out as he breathed in, and as he breathed out, a crimson magic seal appeared in front of his mouth. He didn’t say it as he usually did but Lucy didn’t need him to to know she was in trouble, a ferocious fireball shot out of Natsu’s mouth towards her, and she let out a yell, bracing for the impact.

**“Flame Rend!”** Lucy heard someone say as they landed in front of her, she opened her eyes just in time to see someone wielding a katana that with one stroke, cut Natsu’s fire in half, creating a wall of flame on either side of Lucy that quickly dissipated. The sword stroke also seemed to somehow create a shockwave that sent Natsu rocketing into the wall behind him. The wall crumbled instantly, burying the dragon slayer under rubble.

The stranger turned towards her, raising their katana, and resting the blunt end against their shoulder. Lucy could now see that her savior was a man. A very physically impressive man who stood at least a head and a half taller than Lucy and looked to be at least fifty pounds heavier than her in what she was sure was muscle.

His clean shaven face was framed by thick eyebrows and strong, defined cheekbones. Those along with his broad nose that looked as if it had been broken more than once, full lips set in straight line, brilliant amber eyes that seemed to glow, a scar scored along his right cheek down to his jaw, and another small one cutting into the end of his left eyebrow completed his imposing appearance. His pitch black hair was tied back into a top knot that rested on the top of the back of his head, leaving only a few stringy pieces to hang down on either side of his face.

The stranger was wearing a traditional black kimono tucked into black hakama with a thick red sash tied around his waist and a white haori with red and pink lotus flowers decorating across it.

“Stay behind me.” He told her in a deep voice that matched his appearance. He didn’t wait to see her nod before he turned around, holding his katana back out in front of himself, gripping the hilt with both of hands, and this time facing the man who seemed to have been petrified with his chalice clutched in a white knuckle grip.

“Just how many more strangers am I going to meet today?” Lucy thought and as if she jinxed herself, two more figures dropped from the sky, landing a few feet to the left of Lucy though they were hooded in body length, impeccably clean, white fur trimmed cloaks so Lucy couldn’t make out any of their features.

“This party is officially the worst! Attack! Kill them!” The man at the table shrieked and snapped his fingers again. The statue like people began to move, each grabbing a knife from the silverware set in front of them before they rose simultaneously, and began to run towards Lucy, the newcomers, and the rest of Team Natsu. As soon as they moved however, of the hooded figures raised a clouded crystal orb that looked like a lacrima, and threw it down hard against the ground.

Lucy heard the sound of glass breaking and suddenly the room was filled with a thick black smoke. Lucy dropped to the ground, unable to do anything but listen to the sounds surrounding her. She heard the samurai’s deep voice say something she couldn’t make out, a woman’s voice, someone yelping, and then nothing.

The smoke quickly dissipated and Lucy found herself surrounded by the collapsed bodies of the villagers and her teammates. All signs of the samurai, the two hooded figures, and the man controlling everyone were gone. Lucy took a ragged breath in and out as she slowly climbed to her feet.

Lucy wanted desperately for anything to make sense but knowing she wouldn’t get an answer anytime soon. Her contemplation was cut off by someone letting out a pained gasp. Lucy’s head turned around to the source of the noise and saw that it was Lisanna.

Lisanna was lying prone a few feet away from Lucy and as she neared the white haired mage she heard shallow labored breaths coming from Lisanna. She dropped to her knees next to Lisanna and ran over her body with her eyes, trying to see if she was injured at all but finding nothing

Lucy rolled Lisanna over onto her back and once again tried to find any sign of injury while calling her name a few times, trying to stir the mage, but she didn’t respond. Her already pale skin was now white as a sheet and she was covered in sweat. Lucy continued to call her name but the Take Over mage remained unresponsive.

She heard footsteps rushing towards her and looked up as Natsu dropped down to his knees next to Lisanna also. “What happened?” He asked in an emotionless voice. Lucy opened her mouth to explain that she didn’t know but Natsu’s head whipped over and the glare he gave her shut her mouth as if he had closed it physically. “What did you do, Lucy?” His voice was dripping with accusation and dripping with venom.

“Get back.” Natsu practically growled the words at her and Lucy gaped at her at him. He said it again and she began to feel the air growing hotter. Shocked and slightly scared, Lucy listened, and shuffled back a few feet from the couple.

“I’m sorry…” She said in a dejected tone but her words must’ve fallen upon deaf ears as Natsu continued to stare down at Lisanna.

Gray, Erza, and Happy quickly joined Natsu, circling around Lisanna while trying to puzzle out what happened to her while Lucy sat back on her knees and watched, unable to do anything. Her hands balled into tight fists as she tried to stop the tears of frustration from rolling down her cheeks.

Lucy looked away to the side through an opening in the stone wall out into the dark forest, not wanting her teammates to see her tears. As she gazed out, she suddenly saw a figure in the woods. Blinking away tears, she stood up and narrowed her eyes, trying to make out who or what the figure was. She began to think they were one of the people in the white cloaks from earlier. But just as quickly as the figure appeared, they disappeared in a flash of white.

It might’ve been the exhaustion or the tears still in her eyes but Lucy could’ve sworn the figure had wings.

* * *

**End of Flashback**

Lucy finally reached her apartment building and stopped at the door as she remembered what happened after she saw the mystery person disappear.

Luckily, Asher had shown up soon after with a group of townspeople, having grown worried after Team Natsu had disappeared for hours. They were relieved to find all of the missing people but found that they were in the same state Lucy found Lisanna in. Everyone hurried out of the ruins, carrying the unresponsive people with them.

Lisanna and the others still hadn’t awoken when they reached the town hall and at Asher’s insistence for their help, they were able to borrow a magic carriage, allowing them to rush back to Magnolia. The way back was completely silent except for when Natsu’s attention was diverted from staring at Lisanna to yelling at Lucy while she tried to weakly defend herself.

They arrived at Fairy Tail well past midnight, bringing Lisanna to the infirmary, and while Erza went to go retrieve Makarov, Natsu confronted her one last time.

“You should just go home Lucy.” He said. His voice as cold and sharp as steel.

“What are you talking about? I’m worried about Lisanna too.” Lucy said, looking into his eyes and trying to see any ounce of the Natsu she had come to know but was met with onyx walls.

“Go home! I don’t want to see you”. The last thing he said to her before he turned away and went to go sit on Lisanna’s bedside.

Lucy stood there, despondent as tears ran down her face for what felt like an eternity before she was finally able to walk home. Exhausted both physically and mentally, she fell asleep as soon as she laid in bed.

The next day, Lucy woke up way past noon, which was very uncharacteristic of her, and found that unfortunately the day before wasn’t all a dream. All day she stayed in her apartment, trying to summon the courage to go to Fairy Tail to confront her friends, and not finding it until late in the afternoon.

When she arrived at the guild however, she was told that Lisanna had been moved to Porlyusica’s cabin in the forest where the medical advisor for Fairy Tail could watch over Lisanna. So she ended up walking home dejected and at a loss of what to do other than try again tomorrow.

And that caught her up to where she was now, standing in front of her apartment door with tears streaming down her face as the last words Natsu said to her echoed in her mind.

Plue tried to comfort her once again and Lucy attempted to stop her tears, but she was unable to.

“Thank you Plue.” She thanked him and pet his head once before closing his gate. Lucy wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks, opened the door to the apartment building, and shut it behind her, hoping the next day would be easier but knowing deep down that it wouldn’t.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Lucy, she was being watched as she walked home that day. One of the voyeurs stepped back from the ledge of the building they were watching Lucy from and sighed loudly. “Now that we lost both of our targets, we have no leads in case the two of you forgot! We need to question her about what she heard and what saw.” A woman’s irritated voice said.

Another one of the figures stepped back. “Don’t forget about how she broke out of the illusion too.” They said.

The last figure who was sitting on the ledge with their feet dangling over the edge twisted around to look at their companions. “Okay so which one of you wants to interrogate the miserable girl who hasn’t stopped crying all the way home?”


	2. A New Journey

Lucy groaned as the sunlight filtered through the thin pink blinds in her room, casting her face in a warm, pink glow that might’ve felt pleasant on a morning where Lucy got more than a few hours of sleep. As soon as she had laid down in her bed the night before, she found herself unable to sleep, still playing back the events of the previous two days over and over again until exhaustion finally granted her some peace. Well it would have if not for confusing dreams of beautiful women, vines wrapping painfully tight around her, her friends attacking her and her unable to do anything, and figures in cloaks watching her. It all made for a very unsettling and unsatisfying sleep.

Lucy turned away from the light, trying to will herself back to sleep but unable to. Eventually, after trying for some time, she threw her blankets off of her, and let out a frustrated sigh. She got out of bed and opened her curtains, letting the unobstructed sunlight of a warm summer morning wash over her as her eyes adjusted to the light.

“Today can’t be much worse than yesterday right?” Lucy asked herself and knocked on her wooden nightstand as she passed it just in case.

Lucy got ready for the day at a leisurely pace, enjoying a long shower, taking her time choosing her outfit, styling her hair instead of summoning Cancer to do it, and made herself some breakfast. Anything to postpone the inevitable confrontation she had to face.

As she ate her breakfast, she read the newspaper from yesterday. Nothing piquing her interest except the official announcement that a new Wizard Saint had been raised in the past week. _“Sophia…a Memory-Make mage.”_ The article went on to detail the mysterious disappearance of the former saint that Sophia took the place of, Siegrain. At least that was the story the Magic Council allowed to be released to the public. Lucy knew better, having seen the truth herself, that Siegrain and Jellal, Erza’s childhood friend, were one in the same, and he had been arrested after the Oración Seis mission.

The rest of the article detailed that Sophia was not currently affiliated with any guild and nominated herself when she saw that her country needed her. Accompanying the text was a headshot of the woman. She seemed to be only a few years older than Lucy. Her ivory skin was smooth, devoid of any blemishes and her purple colored hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her lips were pressed in a tight line and her amber eyes were cold and calculating. All together, she seemed to be a very serious and intense woman. _“I can see why she got the job…I wouldn’t want to face her.”_ Lucy thought, almost feeling a shiver run down her back at the the woman’s piercing gaze.

Lucy closed the newspaper and sighed, finally deciding it was time to face the day. She left her apartment and started to walk towards Porlyusica’s cabin, assuming that she could still find her guild-mates there.

Lucy couldn’t deny that it was a beautiful day and familiar townspeople milled about, going through their daily routines. Boats rowed down the river, the fisherman calling out to each other about the possibilities of today’s bounty while merchants called to everyone passing to come look at their wares. A group of children ran past her, the little girl in the lead stopping as she recognized her and running back to stand in front of Lucy. “Lucy! Lucy! Show us a magic trick!” She said while jumping up and down.

Lucy smiled down at the girl and put a hand on her head. “Sorry Mia, I can’t right now but I will another day, okay?” She felt bad as Mia visibly saddened for a second before returning to her cheery attitude.

The little girl stuck her pinky out towards Lucy. “Pinky promise?” She asked expectantly and Lucy nodded, wrapping her pinky around Mia’s.

Mia smiled and then ran off with the rest of her friends, yelling something about going to Fairy Tail to go play with Happy.

Lucy chucked softly at the little girl’s antics as she continued on her way. Usually a day like today would fill Lucy with nothing but the warm feeling that came with being completely content with where she was at in life but no matter how much she tried to take her mind off of things, she knew every footstep brought her closer to closer to her friends, closer to Natsu.

She soon reaches the lush forest in Magnolia and started down the trail that would lead her to the her destination. And it didn’t take long for her to reach it, within minutes she was standing in front of the cabin of the healing mage. She stood outside, frozen in place, stuck between knocking or just entering. Or maybe she was just trying to further postpone what she was dreading.

Suddenly, the door opened, and none other than Natsu came storming out, in the middle of yelling. “I understand what you’re saying but obviously you’re wrong!” He shouted angrily. He was still looking back into the cabin and didn’t notice Lucy until he bumped into her.

Lucy stumbled back as Natsu’s gaze turned to her, the annoyed expression on his face smoothing into an unreadable one. “Natsu…I was coming to check on Lisanna, how is she?” She asked hesitantly.

Natsu’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. “She still hasn’t woken up.” He said in a cold tone.

Feeling a surge of courage, Lucy reached forwards, and grabbed one of his hands into both of hers. “I am so sorry Natsu, I know how much Lisanna means to you. And I’ll help anyway I can. We’ll do it together right? Like we always have, Team Natsu.” She said hopefully.

Lucy felt her heart drop as Natsu pulled his hand away from hers and step a few paces away. He looked down at the ground, his hair covering his face. “You’re going to help? Because you couldn’t do anything in the first place Lisanna is like this. We just got her back and now we might lose her again…” He looked back up and Lucy almost took a step back from the intensity behind his eyes.

The next words cut Lucy to her core, hurting her more than she ever thought she could be. “You should just do us all a favor and leave Team Natsu!” He spat and walked back into the cabin, slamming the door behind him.

As the tears began to fall from her eyes, she turned and ran from the cabin, ran from the man who she thought had been her best friend. She didn’t stop running all the way back to her apartment, on the verge of collapsing and breaking down in the middle of the street until she finally ripped open her door and slammed it behind her, slowly slumping down to the ground with her back to the door as she let the tears flow freely.

She openly sobbed into her hands, Natsu’s words echoing relentlessly in her head. _“How could everything have gone so wrong, so fast?”_ She thought helplessly.

“How long are we supposed to sit here awkwardly?” Someone whispered.

“I told you guys we should’ve waited. This is all your fault.” A husky voice that was vaguely familiar shot back.

“Will you two stop being so insensitive! She’s obviously in distress.” Another strange voice joined, this one sounding like a man too. Lucy’s head whipped up as he said it, sniffing, and wiping her eyes. The three owners of the voicers were gathered in her kitchen.

One she recognized as the man with the katana from the ruins except now he was dressed in a tight fitting tan shirt, sturdy looking brown pants along with a tattered brown cloak. His hair was also tied behind him in a half-up ponytail. He was leaning with his back against the kitchen counter, his arms crossed in front of his chest, and his eyes locked on another man’s.

The other man was lounging in one of the chairs, his legs crossed, and kicked up onto her kitchen table. His beige skin tone complemented his short ginger hair. He had a smattering of freckles across his cheeks and a trimmed beard to frame his face. Lucy could feel something mischievous about him, not knowing wether it was the glint behind his shifty amber eyes, the laugh lines accenting them and the corners of his mouth, or the slight upward quirk to his lips.

He was dressed in a deep red tunic that matched his hair with the v-neck lacing undone, the strings carelessly dangling, and a golden border along the bottom hem with an intricate black design etched into it. Mostly covered by his tunic were a pair of brown cotton shorts that only reached his mid thigh and bulged from his muscular legs. On his feet were a simple pair of brown sandals. A brown leather satchel and a white cloak were draped over the back of his chair.

And between the two, sitting on the table with their right leg crossed over their left was a woman. Lucy couldn’t place her age, she looked young, somewhere in her early thirties but there was also something old, almost ancient about her. Her silver hair was tied into two low ponytails, pooling down to almost her calves, and shined in the sunlight coming in from the kitchen window above the sink. She also had a white cloak draped over the chair in front of her.

She was wearing a simple black wrap dress with a silver braided cord wrapped around her waist and a brown gladiator sandals that snaked up her leg all the way to the top of her calves.

The woman had reflective silver pools for eyes and her hard gaze was completely focused on Lucy. “It seems that we’ve shocked the poor thing. Told you I should’ve just come alone.” She said to her companions in a voice that was a strange mix of silvery and pleasant but in an irritated tone.

The ginger man chuckled a little at her. “Like that would’ve been any better. Getting interrogated as soon as she stepped through the door.” He said with a grin on his face.

The woman hooked one of her hands under his legs, raising them so he leaned back in his chair so far that he tumbled out of it. The man fell with crash and the woman jumped down from her perch, ignoring the groaning man, and walked towards Lucy. She squatted down until she was face to face with Lucy and seemed to force her lips to curl into a smile. “I know my presence is awe-inspiring for many reasons and I am always leaving people speechless but me and my underlings are on a tight schedule that doesn’t involve a group therapy session.” She said in a voice dripping with sarcasm.

Lucy licked her lips, tasting the faint taste of salt from her tears, and slowly stood up, her back still pressed against the door. The woman mirrored her movement so they remained face to face. Once Lucy was fully straightened she noted that the both of them were just about the same height. “Who are you people?” She asked.

“Unimportant.” The woman snapped, her smile shifting into a scowl so fast it was as if it was never there.

The ginger man rose from the ground, setting the chair back up as he began to talk. “Play nice! We’re not going to get anywhere like that. Let’s be civil and all sit at the table.” He suggested in a cheery tone, motioning for everyone to take a seat.

Lucy was no more less confused and cautious but she still walked over to her table and sat down, facing the other three as they also seated themselves. The ginger man was seated across from her to the left with a polite smile on his face. They sat in awkward silence for a few seconds, Lucy deciding how to approach this situation while her hands fidgeted in her lap before someone finally spoke up. “…Well, I guess I’ll start with the introductions. I am Hermes.” The ginger said while laying a hand on his chest and smiling at Lucy. There was silence for a few seconds and he turned his head to glare at his companions.

The man across from her to the right spoke next. “My name is Ares.” He said simply.

And finally, the woman directly across from Lucy, sitting between the two men with a look of contempt on her face introduced herself. “I’ll allow you to call me Celestia.” The silver haired woman said in a way that made it sound like she was doing Lucy a favor by telling Lucy her name.

 _“I wonder if she’s always so difficult…”_ Lucy thought and apparently took too much time because Celestia cleared her throat and raised her eyebrow at Lucy expectantly.

“Well? I hope you didn’t expect to force us to tell you about ourselves without returning the favor.” Celestia grumbled.

 _“I didn’t suggest this!”_ Lucy thought but didn’t dare say it. Instead she leaned forwards and introduced herself. “I’m Lucy, Lucy Heartfilia.” She said and was shocked at the reaction she received from a simple introduction.

Hermes made a choking noise and began to cough, Celestia openly gaped, and Ares eyes widened. “Is something wrong?” Lucy asked hesitantly.

Hermes pounded on his chest a few times and took a big gulp of air before answering. “No, nothing wrong.” He said while forcing a smile.

Celestia’s surprised expression quickly smoothed into a calm one and she laid her folded hands on the table. “Disregard that. We need answers, you have them.” She said.

Lucy cocked her head to the side. “Answers? About what?” She asked.

Celestia’s hands gripped each other harder and she squirmed in her chair. “About the people in the ruins. What do you know about them?” Celestia asked in an impatient tone.

“I have no idea, I promise. I am thankful for you all though, without you I don’t even know if we would have made it out of there.” Lucy said.

“Don’t worry about that, that’s our job.” Hermes said sheepishly, a pleased smile on his face.

“Your job? What guild do you guys belong to?” Lucy asked. She hadn’t seen any guild marks on the exposed parts of their bodies.

“We don’t belong to any guild.” Ares answered her and Celestia gave him a look, they locked eyes for a few seconds before Celestia’s slid back to looking at Lucy.

Lucy took the opportunity to ask her next question. “Who were those people?” Are they from some dark guild?” That was the only conclusion Lucy could draw so far.

Celestia opened her mouth as if to answer but Hermes was quicker. “They are not apart of any dark guild. Think of them more as lone wolves with their own interests.” His answer was vague but Lucy cataloged it away, every piece of this confusing puzzle was important after all.

Suddenly, Celestia stood up, sending her chair clattering to the ground, and slammed her palms against the table, bearing down on Lucy. Celestia’s eyes held an intense fire that was completely focused on her. “We are the ones who are asking the questions! Now you’re going to tell me everything you heard and saw and then we’re going to leave and you’re going to forget all about us and them! You’re out of you league here, Fairy.” She said.

Something finally snapped inside of Lucy, she was tired of being yelled at and belittled. She stood up too, sending her own chair skittering back, and leaned in, facing Celestia eye to eye. “I just came back from what I thought was going to be a simple mission that has turned my entire life upside down! I could’ve died, my friends, who hate me now by the way, could have died! And now I’m to blame because I’m the weak one who couldn’t do anything! I told you that I don’t know anything, this whole damn situation makes no sense to me. So I really don’t need your attitude right now! You can take it and shove it, you…you old hag!” Lucy finished, gasping for breath, and wearing a shocked expression at her own outburst, but unwilling to apologize.

Across from her, Celestia’s face had become unreadable. Lucy braced herself for retaliation from the silver haired woman, but instead she turned, her ponytails swinging with her. She called the names of her companions in a curt tone, grabbed her cloak, and then exited the room, walking stiffly and slamming the door behind her hard enough to make the room shake.

Hermes suddenly burst out laughing, covering his mouth with his hand in a vain attempt to stifle his chuckles. Ares shook his head but he also wore a slight smile on his face.

“Is she going to be okay?” Lucy asked as Ares set the chair Celestia had knocked over back up.

“She’ll get over it…eventually.” Ares said but Lucy wasn’t sure he was so certain.

Hermes laughter died down and he rubbed the corners of his eyes where tears were forming with a finger. “We know Celestia is a somewhat difficult person to get along with but we promise she means well.” Hermes reassured her. “Thank you for being patient, well until you weren’t but thank you for that part too.” He chucked again as he grabbed his cloak and satchel from around his chair.

Before the pair left, Hermes turned back one more time. “Goodbye Lucy, stay safe out there.” He said in a somewhat serious tone. Ares also turned back but he just nodded at her, a gesture she didn’t know what to make of.

And just like that the strangers were gone and as soon as they were, Lucy hurried into her bedroom, going straight for the bookcase overflowing with all of the books she had read, and intended to read. Most were cheesy romance stories that had been her guilty pleasure for almost as long as she could remember. But she wasn’t looking for _“Lost in Love”_ or _“Agents of Desire”_ this time. Instead she went straight for books from her childhood, almost all of them she read with her mother before she passed.

 _“Now I know why something sounded so familiar when I heard Patrick’s story.”_ She thought as she rifled through her collection.

Eventually, she found the one she was looking for. She smiled down at it and ran a hand over the cover, the leather worn and torn in multiple places. _“Tales of the Olympians Vol.1” was_ written on the cover in fine gold writing along with a colorful picture of twelve figures standing on a mountain. She remembered begging her mother to read her the book almost every night for a month because she loved the pictures and the stories of the magical adventures with fantastic creatures that the characters went on.

She delicately opened the old book and leafed through the first few pages until she reached a section that detailed the characters. Each of them getting a page to themselves that contained a drawing and a brief description of who they were. Lucy unconsciously began to say the names aloud as she studied them. “Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Athena, Aphrodite, and Ares.” Lucy paused as she reached that page.

“Right, he’s the God of War!” Lucy said as it all came back to her. The drawing on the page depicted a big man covered head to toe in armor so Lucy couldn’t tell if there was any resemblance to the Ares she had just met.

On the next page was Hermes, the drawing of a middle aged man wearing a helmet with matching wings on the sides, a white tunic, and sandals that also had a pair of wings on each of them. This Hermes however had curly blonde hair and his eyes were a deep blue instead of the shining amber she had seen earlier. “God of Travelers and Tricksters.” She read from the book, committing it to memory before continuing.

Next, she read about Apollo and Artemis, twin gods of the sun and moon respectively, and after them was Hephaestus, Demeter, and finally Dionysus. The last god made her freeze as she read over what the book had to say about him. “God of The Vine, Wine, and Madness.” Lucy closed the book that just confirmed her suspicions and hurriedly stuffed it into her pink backpack.

She stood up and slung the backpack on over her shoulders. _“I need to go see if the library at Fairy Tail has anything about them. A book for kids isn’t going to tell me exactly what I need.”_ She thought as she strode purposefully out of her apartment, starting towards the guild.

* * *

** Celestia **

Across the canal from Lucy’s apartment, Celestia watched the blonde girl jog down the street, quickly disappearing into the midday crowd.

“That insolent brat.” Celestia grumbled, still barely holding onto her temper after being called a hag.

Hermes strode up to her from a food stall to the side, an apple covered in caramel in each hand, one already with a bite mark on it. “Here you go Ares.” He held one out to the muscular man who was sitting at the water’s edge, staring off in the direction Lucy went. The raven-haired man accepted the apple and took a generous bite out of it.

“It’s good right? There’s so many new kinds of foods to try!” Hermes said cheerily.

Celestia glared at the two of them until Hermes noticed. The redhead cocked his head to the side, extending his hand to offer his apple to her. “Did you want one too? I didn’t know Celestia, you can have a bite of mine though.” He offered in an innocent tone.

Celestia considered smacking the apple from his hand but instead took it from him and bit into it. She did have to admit it was delicious.

Ares stood up, wiping his hands on his pants, somehow already done with the treat. “So do you trust that she really doesn’t know anything else?” He asked, obviously referring to Lucy.

Celestia snorted in derision and handed the apple back to Hermes. “Not as far as I can throw you. So we’ll just have to follow her, I’m sure she’ll lead us to Aphrodite and Dionysus.”

* * *

** Lucy  **

Reaching the guild within minutes after jogging all the way, Lucy took a deep breath in and exhaled before pushing the grand wooden doors open. She was greeted with a relatively quiet and calm guild hall with most members conversing and drinking with each other in small groups. It wasn’t surprising it was like this with many members out on missions, working through the sizable list of quests that had accumulated over the past couple weeks. And the members that were here had inevitably heard about Lisanna’s condition which undoubtedly dampened their moods considerably.

Lucy saw Cana behind the bar talking to Macao, Wakaba, and Romeo and she greeted all of them before going up the stairs and turning to the right, walking into a room room that acted as the library and study for the guild members. The room was big enough to hold ten large bookshelves that wrapped around the room’s walls along with four large wooden tables slightly spread out throughout the room. Three bay windows took up the majority of the wall to her left, letting in large amounts of sunlight to illuminate the room.

Piles of books varying in size were placed everywhere and Lucy weaved through them, finding a place to sit at a table, and setting her backpack down. “Okay… time to find a book about the Olympians.” Lucy stated her goal aloud and glanced around the room with books thrown haphazardly around and knowing that there was no real organization system unless Levy was here to maintain it.

 _“I might need some help.”_ Lucy admitted to herself and reached down to her belt. Holding out a golden key she began to chant. **“Open Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!”** The pink-haired spirit appeared in a flash.

Virgo bowed with a hand on her chest. “Princess, have you summoned me for punishment?” She asked in a solemn voice.

Lucy rolled her eyes at her spirit’s eccentricity and gestured around her. “Well if you count finding a specific book in all this mess is torture, then yes.” She said.

Virgo’s eyes visibly brightened and she nodded enthusiastically. “Punishment can come in many forms, I am happy to comply.” She said, bowing once more.

Before Lucy could tell Virgo what they would be searching for, another flash appeared next to her, and she found Loke standing there. “Lucy! I am at your beck and call.” He swooned while kneeling down and placing a kiss on Lucy’s hand.

Though Lucy didn’t call for Loke’s help she knew she would appreciate it nonetheless. She first told them about her encounter with Celestia, Ares, and Hermes, how learning their names gave her another piece to the puzzle, and then finally about the book telling stories of the Olympians she had. “I know it sounds farfetched but maybe that guy who is behind Lisanna and the Rosewood townspeople’s conditions has something to do with these Olympians.” She finished her theory and looked expectantly at Loke and Virgo.

Loke stared off quizzically into the distance. “The Olympians…It’s faint but I do remember hearing about them.” He said, he looked as if he was trying hard to remember something.

Lucy eyes widened and she grabbed onto Loke’s forearm. “Really? So they were real?” She asked, excited at the prospect of figuring out the mystery, and more importantly figuring out how to help.

“Many myths are based in fact.” Virgo answered logically.

“I’m sorry I can’t recall anything more than that they are familiar. Us spirits may be immortal but it’s difficult to remember events that happened so long ago.” Loke explained.

Lucy told him there was no need to feel bad and they quickly got to work looking through the bookcases and many piles stacked around the room for anything that might help. They looked through volumes and volumes of history books, mythology, ancient magic, combing over the texts for hours until the sun began to set outside, casting the room in an orange haze.

Beginning to lose hope, Lucy closed a book with a frustrated sigh, and set her head down at the table they had settled at. Even with her Model 16 Gale-Force Reading Glasses, reading that much, and possibly being so close was exhausting and frustrating.

“I’m starting to think we may need a different strategy, Princess.” Loke said, setting down the book in his hand, and rubbing his eyes.

Lucy nodded along dejectedly and took a bite of her toasted sandwich that she had gotten from the bar downstairs when she realized they were going to be there for a while.

Across the table, Virgo looked up from the book on magical iconography she was reading. “I might’ve found something.” Virgo said and pushed the book across the table, rotating it so Lucy could read. She raised her head as the pink- haired spirit pointed at a section on one of the pages.

Displayed on the page was a symbol that Lucy didn’t recognize, a circle that didn’t fully connect at the bottom, instead splitting, and both ends turning outward. Under the symbol was the title, _“Symbol of Olympus.”_

“This is great Virgo!” Lucy praised her spirit and pulled her notebook and pen closer that she had been using to take notes. She quickly redrew the symbol and began to read. “The people of Olympus were believed to be some of the first mages in history! Blessed with magic so powerful they were worshipped as gods. So maybe the Ares, Hermes, and Dionysus I met were descendants of the original Olympians?” Lucy proposed.

Loke read over her shoulder and nodded along. “That could make sense, many powerful mages these days come from ancient lineages.”

Lucy flipped the page and the symbol on this one was very familiar. A ring of twisting vines but in the middle of this ring was what looked to be a bunch of grapes. “This is what I saw on Patrick’s hand! It’s called…The Mark of Madness.” She told her spirits.

According to the book, the Mark of Madness was a sign that the person was a devout follower of Dionysus. Allegedly, he drew strength from his worshippers to raise his own magic, targeting weaker individuals first before moving on to stronger ones. Unfortunately, it also posited that the mark never disappeared on its own. That was all the book had to say before moving on to the next symbol.

Lucy was dreading it but she knew what she was going to have to do. “I need to go see Lisanna.” Lucy announced and rose from the table, packing her the book and her notes back into her backpack. Her hands were shaking and she grit her teeth, frustrated at herself.

Loke stood up with her and placed a hand on one of hers. Feeling his warm hand steadied her own slightly. She looked up at her spirit and he looked at her. “Let me come with you.” He said softly.

Lucy bit her lip, feeling emotional at how much she appreciated her spirit before she nodded. She heard Virgo stand up and walk around the table. She placed her hand on Lucy’s shoulder and when she turned around towards the spirit, Virgo wrapped her in a tight hug. “Stay strong, Princess.” She whispered and dissipated into flakes of gold.

Strengthened by the love from her spirits, Lucy was filled with confidence, and left the study. Hurrying down the stairs and leaving the guild with Loke only a step behind her. They walked back to the woods that Lucy had already been to today and followed the short trail that would lead to Porlyusica’s. Once they got there, Lucy found herself frozen once again in front of the door, terrified at the prospect of facing her friends again. She unconsciously took a step back but instead of stepping back into thin air, she ran into Loke’s outstretched arm. She looked over at him and he nodded, stepping forwards to knock on the door for her.

They waited a few seconds that felt like hours to Lucy but were met with no response. Loke knocked a few times once again but there was only silence in response again. “Well don’t mind if we do then.” Loke said as he pulled the door open.

Lucy and Loke entered the cabin, instantly being hit with the strong scent of different types of herbs mixed together with incense wafting through the room. Laying in a bed across the room was Lisanna. Strangely, though Lucy had expected a crowd to be at Lisanna’s bedside, no one was else was in the room with her.

Deciding that some good luck wasn’t something to scoff at, Lucy sat down on a stool next to the bed.

Under a blanket, the white-haired woman looked considerably more stable than she remembered. Lisanna appeared to be sleeping peacefully but Lucy didn’t expect her to wake up anytime soon. Just in case Lucy called her name and as she expected Lisanna remained unresponsive.

Lucy grabbed the blanket and pulled it down, Lisanna was wearing the same clothes she had when they had brought her back, a loose shirt and shorts that went to to her mid-thigh. Lucy didn’t remember seeing the symbol on Lisanna when she was looking for any wounds back in the ruins but she still examined her exposed skin, looking over her front first and then gently rolling her over with Loke’s assistance to look there.

Lucy grew frustrated as she finished inspecting the white haired mage for the third time. “Maybe I’m wrong.” Lucy said and sat back in her stool, Loke standing behind her.

“Sorry Lucy I know how much you want to be right. But this is good news right? She’s not cursed with madness.” Loke said, trying to look on the positive side of things.

Lucy was about to agree but just then she saw a sliver of black on Lisanna’s skin that had been exposed from her shorts slightly riding up. Lucy leaned forward, telling Loke to look away as she slowly pushed the shorts a little higher. And sure enough, emblazoned on Lisanna’s left thigh was the Mark of Madness.

Lucy found herself filled with a strange mix of satisfaction at figuring it out and dread at the implication of the mark. She covered the mark back up and turned to face Loke. “Master needs to know about this.” She said and Loke shook his head in agreement.

“Great job Lucy, your brains are as impressive as your beauty. I think I’ll head back to the Celestial Spirit Realm, will you be okay?” He asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

“I’ll be okay, thank you for being there for me Loke.” She said.

Loke winked at her and grinned. “I always will be.” He said before he left in a golden flash.

Lucy rushed out of the room, her next task to go back to Fairy Tail in hopes that Makarov was there, but as she left the forest and started down the cobblestone street, she was saw Gray and Erza walking in the opposite direction towards her.

Lucy froze in her tracks, feeling her heart begin to beat faster as soon as she saw her friends, but she told herself she was being foolish. “ _Maybe they’ll be calmer than Natsu.”_ She thought as she walked forwards to meet them.

“Gray, Erza, it’s good to see you guys! I just came back from seeing Lisanna, and you won’t believe what I found out, Lisanna has a mark on her thigh, the Mar-.” The words started to spill out her mouth and she cut herself off. “I’m probably not taking any sense, you two should come with me back to Fairy Tail so I can explain everything to you and Master.” Lucy said hopefully but her heart dropped when she saw the look on Gray’s face.

The Ice Mage ran a hand through his raven hair, his eyes downcast, and his mouth set in a straight line. “Look Lucy, we just can’t do this right now. With Lisanna in the condition she’s in, we don’t want to hear any crazy theories you’ve conjured up.” He said while stuffing his hand into the pockets of the baggy pants he was wearing.

Lucy didn’t know how to respond to hearing that her friend didn’t trust her and while she was thinking of something to say, Erza and Gray started to walk past her, giving her a wide berth. Lucy turned around, staring at their backs as her hands balled into shaking fists. “What are you talking about? Come on guys we’re a team.” Lucy said. She didn’t like it at all that this conversation was seeming to parallel the one she had earlier with Natsu.

This time it was Erza who spoke. The scarlet-haired mage turned around with her arms crossed over her armored chest. “Teammates protect each other, something that you failed to do with Lisanna. How can we trust someone who does that? You need to own up to it Lucy, take responsibility or I will lose all the respect I once had for you.” With that scathing remark she turned her back to Lucy and left with Gray, the sound of their boots echoing against the pavement.

Lucy squeezed her eyes shut willing herself not to cry. _“Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry…I have to keep going. They want me to take responsibility? Then so be it.”_ Lucy thought. She felt her heart beat faster, the sound of blood rushing in her ears, the pit in her stomach filling with a fire sparked by a swirl of emotions that had been growing the past couple days. Anger, loneliness, disdain, jealousy, guilt, hurt, humiliation. All of them fueling an intense desire to prove them all wrong. _“I’m not weak, I’m not helpless, and I’ll show them exactly that.”_

With that declaration, Lucy changed her route from Fairy Tail to the train station. She looked at the schedule of trains departed tomorrow, knowing she wouldn’t find her ultimate destination but hopefully one close to it. After reading the entire list, she settled on one. “ _Azalea, departing tomorrow at 10 in the morning.”_ She bought a ticket for the journey and then started walking back to her apartment.

As soon as she got home she packed her backpack with clothes, necessities, equipment, and supplies, everything she would need if she was going to be gone for a few days. As she finished her packing, the events of the day started to weigh heavily on her and she decided that a bath was what she needed.

Excited at the thought of the hot water relaxing her, she went into her bathroom, and turned on the water, plugging the drain so the tub would fill and while she waited, she sat on the edge of the tub with her notebook, combing over the details she had gleaned from the the books along with her encounter with Celestia, Hermes, and Ares, and with Dionysus and the beautiful woman who she had yet to learn the identity of.

She had learned so much today but was still filled with questions. Were all of these Olympian descendants part of the same family? Was the beautiful woman Aphrodite or some other “god”. Was she even an Olympian? What did they want and why now? What’s in Dahlia City? Lucy was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice that Loke had appeared in front of her until he called her attention.

So surprised at the sudden intrusion, Lucy yelped, and would’ve fallen back into the now water filled tub if not for Loke grabbing her at the last second.

Once Lucy was safely sat on the edge again, Loke let out a forced laugh while scratching the back of his head. “Well that was a close one…” He said and when Lucy glared at him, he quickly went on. “Why didn’t you go see Makarov?” He asked while taking of his glasses as they steamed up from the steam swirling in the room.

Lucy closed her notebook and stood up, looking at Loke with as much determination in her eyes as she could muster. “No, I’ve decided I’m going to Dahlia by myself and I’m going to get Dionysus to release Lisanna and all of the Rosewood villagers.” She declared, trying to keep her voice even.

Loke’s eyes widened. “L-Lucy…I don’t think that’s a good idea.” He said in a gentle voice and as Lucy began to respond, she heard the all too familiar noise of a celestial spirit coming to Earthland along with a sizable splash causing her back to become soaked with water.

“Now now Loke, our dear Lucy is finally growing a pair, we should be encouraging her.” Aquarius’ snide voice cut in.

Lucy turned, her determined expression changing into a grimace as she was confronted with her severe mermaid celestial spirit who could barely fit into the bathtub now overflowing with water. “Was that supposed to a compliment?” Lucy asked as she reached over to turn off the faucet spewing hot water. 

Aquarius crossed her arms and a smirk graced her face. “Yes and don’t get used to it. Maybe now that you’ve gained some agency you’ll get a boyfriend.” She said mockingly and Lucy felt her face heat up, sure that the she was blushing.

Loke sighed. “Aquarius, of course I’m proud of Lucy for wanting to take this into her own hands but this isn’t some simple mission, this could be dangerous.” Loke explained himself with outstretched hands.

“When did I ever say I was proud of her?” Aquarius asked flippantly. “If anything I’m still just as disappointed as ever for it taking so long.

“Well good thing my purpose isn’t to please you, Aquarius.” Lucy shot back.

Aquarius snorted in an amused tone while brushing her hair over her right shoulder with the back of her hand. “And you wonder why your life has been a mess for years, the answer is right there.” She said arrogantly.

Lucy ground her teeth, the moody zodiac spirit has a special way of getting under her skin. “Why are you here Aquarius?” She asked in a strained voice.

“Like I said earlier, to celebrate your decision…” Aquarius looked directly into Lucy’s eyes. “And to tell you to be careful…we don’t want you to get killed before I can drown you do we?” She asked with a devilish glint in her eyes and not waiting for an answer, returned to the Celestial Spirit World.

Lucy was left speechless at her spirit’s words. _“That was actually strangely nice…for Aquarius.”_

Loke shook his head. “Well I may not agree with her delivery, I do with her sentiment…I think at least. If this is really what you want Lucy then I am behind you completely.” He promised and then also returned back to the place the spirit’s called home.

Lucy turned to look into the mirror above her sink, she was met with the reflection of herself and grimaced at tinge of red behind her eyes. She turned away from herself and began to strip off her clothes for her bath, the only thought in her head as she lowered herself into the steaming water was that her plan had to work, it had to.

* * *

The next morning, Lucy was woken up by the alarm she had set for 9:00 am. Once again she had not gotten much sleep due to replaying the events of the day over and over along with the anticipation of the day to come.

She rolled out of her bed and started to go through her daily routine. As she looked in the mirror above her bathroom sink to do her hair for the day, deciding to just go with a low ponytail and leaving two strands of hair to frame her face, she couldn’t help but notice the dark circles that were developing under her eyes. Lucy shook her head and splashed her face with cold water, hoping to wake herself up a little.

Next, she dressed herself in an azure blue jacket with gold accents over a tight fitting white shirt cropped just above her bellybutton, a blue mini skirt that matched her jacket, and high-heeled brown boots. And as always she had her belt that would hold her keys and whip.

After finishing the rest of her routine to get ready of the day, she looked at the clock, and saw she had half an hour before the train would leave. Lucy went over everything one last time, making sure she didn’t forget any important items, and when she was sure she was ready she left her apartment, hurrying towards the train station.

She arrived by 9:40, boarding the train, and finding a booth to sit and wait in. According to the schedule, the trip to Azalea, a small city to the west, would take only a few hours. And then she would hopefully be able to find a train that would take her to Dahlia, a mountain town at the base of the mountain range found in the southeast corner of Fiore. _“As long as I get there in 4 days.”_ Lucy thought, remembering that the woman had told Dionysus to meet in a week and that a few days had already passed.

As Lucy sat there, her mind began to wander. _“I can’t remember the last time I was on a train alone.”_ She thought. It had been a long time she had been alone in general now that she thought about it. Ever since that fateful day when she had run into Natsu and Happy. It seemed she was always on a mission and in her off time her friends were always there. Her life was something she could only dream about when she was younger. And now she felt that life being threatened but she was set on saving it at any cost.

The train conductor cut off her musing by asking for her ticket which she punched a hole in when Lucy handed it to her. “Enjoy the trip.” She said and handed the ticket back to Lucy.

It took only a few minutes longer before Lucy heard the shriek of the train whistle sound throughout the station as the train started to move. Lulled by the rocking of the train along with the passing scenery coupled with the lack of sleep the past two night, it didn’t take long for Lucy to doze off.

Lucy woke up to the whistle signaling that the train had arrived in Azalea. As soon as she stepped off the train she saw a large sign welcoming her and every other traveler to the city.

_Welcome to Azalea  
The City of Color_

_“I’ve never heard of the city of color before.”_ Lucy thought offhandedly as she found a train attendant who could tell her if there would be a train for Dahlia tomorrow. She found someone quickly and they told her that there wouldn’t be a train to Dahlia but there would be one to Zinnia Town which would bring her close enough to Dahlia that there would surely be a train to bring her there the next day. The train to Zinnia would leave tomorrow at noon. Lucy thanked the attendant and stepped out of the train station to go find an inn and a way to kill time for the rest of the day.

Nothing could’ve prepared Lucy for the sight in front of her. “ _Well the city definitely deserves it name!”_ Lucy gaped as her eyes were assailed with vibrant pinks, reds, blues, oranges, yellows, and purples on almost every building. Even the some of the cobblestone rocks paving the street were colored too.

The many-hued buildings were cubes with flat roofs stacked haphazardly on top of each other and lining the streets to separate the sidewalk and the street were azalea bushes shaded by trees planted every ten paces or so.

Lucy walked down the street in awe as she took in the sight, noticing that many other people around her were doing the same while what she assumed were locals walked past, seemingly unimpressed by the colorful display around them.

Suddenly she felt a slight pull on waist and she looked down. “My keys!” Lucy exclaimed as she saw that the belt pouch she used to hold her keychain was gone. Her head whipped side to side, trying to find the thief. The street was packed with people coming to and from the train along with the locals milling about.

She caught sight of a small figure in a brown cloak weaving expertly through the crowd and started to chase after it, bumping into people and apologizing as she tried her best to navigate through the people while keeping an eye on the cloaked thief. Eventually the crowd thinned out enough for Lucy to be able to pick up speed to almost a full sprint, slowly beginning to catch up to her target. The thief took a sharp turn right and Lucy followed, flying around the corner just as someone stepped out into the street in front of her.

Lucy let out a cry and went crashing to the ground, gasping when her butt collided with the hard pavement.

“Watch where you’re going, dumbass!” A harsh voice yelled to her.

Lucy scowled, the person’s attitude instantly souring her mood even further, and quickly scrambled to her feet. “Maybe you shouldn’t stand in the middle of the street, douchebag!” Lucy retaliated, glaring at them and then gasping when she saw who it was.

“Laxus!”

The imposing lightning dragon slayer looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. “Huh? Oh it’s you.”


	4. Adventures in the City of Color

The muscular man standing in front of Lucy was wearing a long sleeve cream colored shirt, wine red pants held up by a brown belt, brown boots, and a large, brown coat trimmed with fur along the neck and sleeves that was draped over his shoulders. Around his neck were a pair of Magic Sound Pods. His face was twisted into a scowl and his hooded eyes glaring at down at her.

“Well are you going to apologize?” Laxus asked condescendingly.

Lucy rolled her eyes, seeing that he was as arrogant as always. “I don’t have time for you, Laxus.” She said as she brushed past him still determined to chase the thief. She looked down the street, scanning the crowd, and catching sight of the cloaked figure still running ahead. She started to run after them again and as she did she heard Laxus telling her to wait but she decided to ignore him. _“Like hell I’ll lose my spirits.”_ Lucy thought, knowing that she would run as far as she needed to to get them back.

Lucy heard footsteps coming from beside her and when she turned her head, she saw that Laxus was running next to her, matching her stride for stride easily. “That was rude of you.” He said with the corner of his lip raising into a smirk.

“I could care less if I’m being rude to you!” Lucy said back, cursing her luck or lack thereof.

Laxus’ smirk seemed to deepen. “I didn’t know you were so fiery Blondie. I’m starting to see why Natsu keeps you around.” He said and at the mention of Natsu’s name, Lucy felt her mood worsen even more. She turned her attention back to the figure in front of them, hoping that Laxus would catch the hint.

Unfortunately for her, he didn’t. “Damn. Is there some trouble in paradise?” He asked, still with a slight teasing tone.

Lucy opened her mouth to deliver a scathing insult but then saw the thief turn left. She took the turn too, only a few seconds behind, and found herself at the entrance of a dark alleyway, the sun blocked by the tall buildings around it. The thief was standing further down the alley, a wall blocking their path.

“Don’t move! Just give my keys back or you’ll regret it.” Lucy demanded while walking forwards, trying not to let herself pant after her mad dash through town as she talked.

The cloaked figure turned towards Lucy and held her keys out in her outstretched hand. “And how would you do that?” A woman’s voice came from the figure.

Lucy pointed behind herself where she expected Laxus to be, thinking he was still a few paces away at the entrance of the alley but he had followed her in so her finger collided with his muscled chest. “I’ll have him make you and trust me, you really don’t want that!” She shouted.

 _“Just go along with it Laxus…”_ Lucy willed the man.

She felt Laxus’ hand wrap around her finger and pull it away from his chest. “Don’t involve me in this, I’m just along for the ride.” He said and Lucy let out a groan at the man’s unhelpful nature.

“I’m not scared of you or your boy toy.” The woman said. Lucy’s patience broke and she grabbed the whip at her waist, activating Flueve d’etoiles. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the magic whip towards the woman’s hand holding her keys, aiming for the key ring so that the woman would drop them. The woman surprised her however by pivoting out of the way before rushing towards Lucy.

She nimbly jumped to the side and kicked against the wall, lifting her up, and sending her to the other alley wall which she also kicked off. She was now sailing through the air above Lucy and Laxus and as she did, she nimbly flipped forwards in the air so as she passed over them, she was upside and facing them.

Lucy gaped as the woman flew over them and caught a glimpse of deep blue eyes looking down at them before an orb of blue fire appeared in front of her and shot towards Laxus. She landed expertly on her feet, crouching down before standing and starting to run again, Lucy quickly following suit.

But as the thief was about to exit the alley, a small magic seal appeared between her and Lucy, and a chain made of seemingly pure white light shot out of it at blinding speeds. The chain twisted in the air and as if it had a mind of its own, snaked towards the thief, wrapping itself around her wrist, and pulling her back causing her to drop Lucy’s keys.

Lucy rushed forwards and dropped to her knees, grabbing her keys, and holding them to her chest as she let out a sigh of relief. Ahead of her, she saw the thief laying on the ground, the chain still wrapped around her wrist and pulled taut. The hood of the woman’s cloak had fallen down so Lucy could see dark hair spilling out around her along with that seemed to be animal ears. Before she could move to get a better look, the chain dissipated into white light, and the woman was freed.

She leaped up onto her feet and as soon as she was standing she pulled her hood back up over her head. She turned to look at Lucy, their eyes meeting each other for a second before she turned back and ran away, exiting the alleyway, and turning to the left. Where the woman was going was at the back of Lucy’s mind though, she was just so glad that her keys were back in her possession.

“Well I got my keys back no thanks to you Laxus.” Lucy said as she stood up and turned to face the dragon slayer while brushing the dirt off of her legs. “Laxus?” Lucy asked in a concerned tone. He was leaning against the wall, his body shaking slightly.

Lucy cautiously began to step towards him and stopped in her tracks when she got close enough to hear him. _“Is he…giggling?”_ Lucy thought, dumbfounded. And sure enough as she took another step closer and leaned in, she heard Laxus giggling, a very strange sound coming from the usually intimidating man.

Laxus’s body started to shake even more and the giggling evolved into full blown, booming laughter. Lucy was surprised at how infectious it was. The blonde man roared unrestrained until Lucy put a hand on his shoulder. His head swiveled to look at her and she saw that his cheeks were flushed with color, his eyes were glassy and red, and his lips were curled into a goofy smile. “Are you drunk?” Lucy asked unbelievably.

Laxus giggled and pointed at Lucy, sticking his finger in her face, and almost poking her. “Are youuuu drunk?” He asked, his voice slurred.

Lucy pushed his finger away from her face. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She said and figured that this must be caused by the magic flame that the thief had conjured.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Laxus repeated her words but in a mocking tone then started to giggle.

Lucy sighed, torn between leaving the man and helping. Ultimately her good nature won out. “Come on.” She said to Laxus, reaching out to pull him towards the street. He almost fell at first but after a few lumbering steps, he started to look as if he hadn’t just learned how to walk although still with a few stumbles.

“Where are you…me….we going? Are we going to the bar?” He asked excitedly as they started to walk down the street the street. He started to stumble towards a royal blue building across the street with the words “Perry’s Pub” lit up on sign.

Lucy rushed in front of Laxus and held both her hands out, pressing her palms against the man’s chest. “No! We’re going to find something to help you.” Lucy said firmly.

Laxus looked down at her with his eyes furrowed before going back to the happy expression he had on before. His hand came up and Lucy watched incredulously as he poked her on the nose. “Whatever you say, Blondie.”

* * *

** Celestia  **

Celestia stood further down the street from Lucy and the hulking man she was trying to herd away. _“What did I do to have my life become stalking this girl?”_ Celestia asked herself, more than a little frustrated at her situation.

“Any reason why you helped her? Showing that big heart of yours?” Hermes asked and Celestia knew he was wearing that ever-present smirk on his face.

She turned to him and scoffed. “As if. I just need her focused on helping us find Dionysus rather than trying to catch a thief.” She explained herself.

Hermes shrugged with a knowing expression on his face and Celestia felt her temper sour even more at her companion’s gesture. “Whatever you say.” He said.

“Are you implying something?” She asked him.

He gave a big grin. “I don’t know…Am I Ares?” He asked innocently, shifting his eyes over to Ares who stood behind her.

Ares shook his head and began to walk away. “Leave me out of this, I’m going to go see if the magic shop has anything interesting.” He said, waving at them as he walked down the street.

“Wait up I’m coming too!” Hermes called and jogged to go catch up to the black-haired man.

Celestia sighed as she watched them go before turning back to watch Lucy and noticed that she had lost sight of her. She cursed Hermes for distracting her and hurried down the street, intent on finding the blonde girl.

* * *

** Lucy **

Lucy had to ask directions multiple times but finally she was standing in front of her destination, a magic shop. It was a small multistoried sunflower-yellow building with a copious amount of magical items of every kind arranged in a window display to draw in the pedestrians passing by. Lucy wasn’t surprised that it seemed to be a popular shop with people streaming in and out.

“C’moooon let’s go somewhere more fun, Blondie.” Laxus whined from behind her.

“I told you not to call me that ever again.” Lucy said, not bothering to look back at the man.

“Youuu know you like it.” Laxus slurred, leaning down close enough to Lucy so that his face was right against her ear. She felt a shiver run down her spine from the feeling of his breath on her neck and she whipped around to face him.

“I don’t know anything Sparky! And neither do you…Sparky!” Flustered and embarrassed, Lucy blurted out the first name she could think of for the man.

Laxus leaned back and one hand came up to his chin. He appeared to be deep in thought for a few seconds before talking. “Sparky…I like that, it sounds cool!” Laxus cheered and Lucy couldn’t help but groan.

Lucy decided it was best to just go into the building instead of humoring Laxus anymore. She found that the inside of the building was even smaller than she expected but there was a second level, stairs to her right leading to it. The shelves were overflowing with magic items and Lucy was tempted to go see if they had any Celestial Spirit keys. _“But first things first…this idiot.”_ Lucy thought as she watched Laxus play with a device that spewed out purple smoke. He sneezed and dropped it before looking at Lucy and smiling.

Lucy shook her head and went over to the back of the store where the checkout counter was. No one was behind the counter but there was a curtain that led to what Lucy assumed was a backroom. Lucy saw a bell on the counter and rung it once. A few seconds passed with no response and Laxus pressed the bell again and again and again. Lucy smacked his hand and shot a glare at him but all he did was giggle.

Finally, someone emerged from behind the curtain. They were a young women with flowing wavy orange hair that reached the middle of her back, the top of her head hidden under a patterned black bandana. Red crescent marks framed the bottom of her burnt orange eyes, and she wore an easy smile.

She was carrying a large wooden box with both of her arms and she set it down on the floor with a huff. Then, she stood up and came up to the counter, leaning forwards towards Lucy and Laxus, and pressing both arms against the glass. For some reason Lucy felt that there was something different about the woman, not in a negative way, just a familiar feeling she couldn’t quite place.

“Sorry about that wait, how can I help you?” She asked in a drawling voice.

“I was wondering if there was anything to help me with him.” Lucy pointed at Laxus who had wandered off to mess with another magic item, this one creating bubbles of varying sizes and colors that made him gasp every time. She turned back to the employee and let out a nervous laugh. “I swear he isn’t always like that. To make a long story short, someone hit him with a spell, and now I think he’s charmed.”

The worker frowned for a second as she looked at Laxus but her smile quickly returned. “Bring him upstairs, I might have something that can help your boy toy.” She said in the same slow, lazy way.

“He not my…” Lucy started but the woman had already disappeared back behind the curtain. Lucy sighed while shaking her head and then went to walk over to Laxus. He was still playing with the bubble maker, having made one twice as large as his head.

Lucy tried to pop the bubble to get the man’s attention but her finger bounced off the surface instead of puncturing it. “Isn’t it so cool Blondie?” He asked.

“Finding something to turn you back into the arrogant prick you usually are would be a lot cooler.” Lucy said as she grabbed Laxus’ arm and pulled him towards the stairs.

“Heeey I’m not a prick anymore.” Laxus said and sounded as if he was actually offended.

“Nothing to say about the arrogance though.” Lucy mumbled under her breath as they went up the stairs. She successfully got him up to the second floor which was more like a loft with a wood railing along the edge. On the loft, there were much less shelves to crowd the space but it also held larger magic items up here.

The orange haired woman was standing beside a chair with something in her hand. She gestured to bring Laxus over to the chair and Lucy hurried him over and ordered him to sit. Once he was seated, the woman revealed that she had an shiny silver eyepiece in her hands.

“Think of this as a kind of like magic identifier. Hopefully it’ll tell me exactly what’s wrong with him.” She explained and raised it to her right eye. She leaned in close to Laxus, leaving only about a foot between her face and Laxus’. A small orange magic seal appeared at the end of the eyepiece.

Laxus giggled and Lucy looked at him with an eyebrow raised. “It tickles.” He explained before starting up again.

Lucy started to worry as the woman’s eyebrows furrowed and she looked confused. She stepped closer to the woman and felt the same weird sensation coming from her that she had back on the first floor, she could almost place it but the answer was just out of reach. For now she ignored the feeling. “Is there something wrong?” She asked.

The woman shook her head and lowered the eyepiece while straightening. “Well other than the charm, it seems that he has like a lacrima or something in him.” She said, her head cocked to the side.

Lucy let out a sigh of relief that it wasn’t something serious. “Don’t worry about that, that’s normal for him.” Well as normal as an artificial Dragon Slayer was.

“The charm should resolve itself by tomorrow but I’ll go see if we have anything that can fix it faster for you. You can wait up here.” The woman said and disappeared behind another curtain on that floor.

“She’s a lot nicer than you Blondie.” Laxus grumbled with his arms folded over his chest.

“Just shut up and sit there!” Lucy snapped and gaped when he stuck his tongue out and flipped her off. Lucy felt her patience coming to an end but she held back the urge to kick him upside the head. Instead, she turned around and walked over to the railing, leaning against it, and watching the shoppers.

No one caught her eye until she saw a duo with a shock of red hair and raven hair. Their backs were facing her but the redhead turned to the side and Lucy’s suspicions were confirmed. Even from this distance Lucy could see Hermes’ smirk. _“What are they doing here? Are they following me?”_ Lucy thought to herself and was more than a little disturbed at the thought. _“And where is Celestia?”_ Lucy could practically felt the heated gaze of the silver-haired woman from just thinking about her.

“Hermes, Ares!” Lucy called out to them and they both turned to look up at her.

Hermes waved at her excitedly but Ares grabbed him by the back of his tunic and pulled him away towards the shop door. Determined not to let them get away, Lucy hurried over to the stairs, and started to run down them.

“Wait Blondie! Where are you going?” Laxus’ slurred voice came from behind her and then Lucy heard him cry out in surprise. She turned her head just in time to see Laxus tumbling down the stairs and then feeling him run into her, taking her down with him. They fell in a tangle of limbs with Lucy screaming before suddenly, everything went black for her.

* * *

** Ares **

Ares blinked just to make sure he didn’t imagine what just happened. He had turned to look when he heard Lucy scream and watched as her and that man fell down the stairs but then they had just…vanished.

His hand slipped from Hermes’ collar and the redhead glared at him. “What was that all about, Ares? She was being nice to us!” He said.

Ares crossed his arms over his chest. “Celestia wouldn’t have been too happy if Lucy found out we were following her but now it looks like she disappeared anyways.” Ares explained himself, not looking forward to breaking the news to Celestia.

“Looks like Lucy has more tricks up her sleeve then we thought.” Hermes said as he adjusted his tunic. The dangling crystal earring on his ear began to faintly glow. Ares had a similar one on his left ear and he knew Celestia was wearing one too. They were lacrima imbued with communication magic, all linked to one another so they could talk to each other whenever. He had to admit that this age had extremely handy tools available.

“Celestia we have a problem.” Hermes said, having established the link with Celestia.

“Oh I’m well aware!” Ares could easily hear Celestia’s shrieking voice coming from the lacrima and Hermes winced. Before Hermes could respond back, the shop’s door burst open, and none other than Celestia walked in.

Celestia walked straight to the the spot where Lucy disappeared at the bottom of the stairs and Ares and Hermes followed her. “I felt her magic aura disappear.” She said as she kneeled down, touching the ground while closing her eyes. She abruptly stood up and began to stride back towards the door, brushing past them, and obviously expecting them to follow.

Ares had thought he had grown used to Celestia’s temperament, especially because most of the time it was focused on Hermes rather than himself, but she continued to prove him wrong. Hermes quickly followed, seemingly unbothered by Celestia, and Ares trudged along after them.

They exited the magic shop and Celestia brought them to an alleyway between the magic shop and the building next to it. Celestia stopped walking about halfway down the alley and finally turned to face them.

“What’s the deal Celestia? Are you finally going to kill us?” Hermes asked in his perpetually lighthearted tone.

Celestia snorted. “Not yet but you two are on thin ice.” She warned and Ares couldn’t help himself from smirking at the thought of a fight with the woman. He hadn’t had a real fight in much too long for his taste.

“Good for you two that I was able read the residual spatial magic.” Celestia said.

“So Lucy knows how to teleport? She’s more impressive than I thought.” Hermes said and Celestia shook her head, her two ponytails swinging back and forth too.

“Not her but I have an idea who it was so let’s go. Make sure you’re suppressing your magical aura or this isn’t going to be pretty for us.” Celestia warned. Ares opened himself to what was like a 6th sense, a technique that came easily to him, allowing him to feel that magical auras of everyone around him, the intensity of them reflecting the person’s strength, and visualized putting a barrier around his that would hide his aura from anyone searching. He felt Hermes do the same just as quickly.

“Ready?” Celestia asked but before either of them could ask, they were enveloped in a white flash of light.

* * *

** Lucy **

Lucy groaned with her eyes closed, multiple parts of her body already aching from the fall. _“That idiot…”_ Lucy thought as she pushed herself up against what she thought was the ground. _“Why is the ground so bumpy?”_ Lucy asked herself as she opened her eyes.

Lucy was left speechless as she looked around her. No longer in the Azalea magic shop, she found herself floating on an island of prismatic stone that was lost in a seemingly endless void filled with stars and planets. Her head swiveled to look behind her and if it were possible, her jaw would have dropped even lower. Standing behind her was Loke, looking down at her with a confused expression on his face, and behind him, sitting in a colossal golden throne, was the equally as colossal Celestial Spirit King.

Lucy then heard groaning from below her and she looked at the source of the noise. “Get off! You’re heavy Blondie.” Laxus groaned from under her.

Lucy’s face heated and she slapped Laxus. “S-Shut up you ass!” She exclaimed as she scrambled off of him and towards Loke. She now noticed that Laxus was wearing a different outfit than the one he had been in before and then noticed that she was also in a matching new outfit. A sleeveless gold dress flowed down to her feet that were now in golden heels. Her left hand was covered in a white glove that stretched up to her elbow.

“Laxus! What are you doing with Lucy?” Loke asked as he walked over to Laxus. He knelt down and grabbed the blonde man by the collar, lifting his upper body off the ground.

“Lokeee! Since when did you get here?” Laxus asked, his eyes widening. “And when did your hair get so spiky.” Laxus reached up to grab a tuft of Loke’s orange hair and giggled when he did. Loke looked frozen in shock for a second before he let go of the Dragon Slayer’s shirt, letting him fall back to the ground unceremoniously.

Loke looked over at Lucy. “Lucy…what the hell was that?” Loke asked.

Lucy sighed and ran a hand through her hair. “Just another thing I have to add to the list of reasons why this week is the worst.” She said.

The Celestial Spirit King suddenly let out a hearty laugh. “It is good to see you old friend! You’re always one to entertain. There is no one I would rather have be the first human being to visit this world…and your companion is welcome too of course! A friend of yours is a friend of mine.” He said in his booming, resounding voice.

Lucy squeaked and turned to the Celestial Spirit King, angry at herself for not addressing the king earlier. “Y-Your celestial majesty, I am extremely grateful you invited me to the Celestial Spirit Realm, you truly honor me…But if I may ask, why am I here?” Lucy curtsied while trying to address him as formally as possible but she was still flustered. Her mind raced for reasons why and most of them weren’t good.

“A wonderful question, old friend! As you may know, although I am aware of them, I rarely interfere with Earthland matters. However, Loke came to me to ask about the Olympians and I want to help clear some things up.” He said.

Lucy stepped forwards excitedly, all thoughts except for learning more about the Olympians pushed away. “Yes please! That would be very appreciated! I haven’t been able to find much.” She said.

The Celestial Spirit King swept his hand across the air and suddenly balls of light appeared in front of him as he began to speak. “That does not surprise me, the flow of time hides much from us, even from one as old as I. In the beginning, well not the beginning but a beginning, the One Magic was born into the primordial world when Earthland was largely undeveloped and mages did not exist. That was until the One Magic granted the ability to draw upon it in its many forms to the first beings. And among those beings were The Olympians.” The balls of light swirled around into one bright point then separated into thirteen glowing figures.

“The Olympians are a group of extremely capable mages that were able to harness The One Magic to develop many magics that are known today, along with many have that have been lost. The Olympians ruled Earthland and ushered in the Age of Legends. The world suffered from their tyrannical rule, living for countless decades, until a lone sage came forward to put an end to it. Wielding a powerful form of magic, they were able to draw upon the One Magic itself to seal the Olympians away.” The thirteen figures were confronted by a new one and a glowing box appeared around them before the boxed figures faded away. “And many believe that they were also the progenitor of Celestial Spirit Magic, sealing the power of the stars into the 88 keys we know today.” Around the last glowing human, mini constellations blinked into existence, surrounding them, before swirling and becoming the outline of a key.

Lucy stared forwards, engrossed at the story, and faintly hearing Laxus behind her exclaiming about the lights, but she ignored him as best as she could. “So did The Olympians have children before they were sealed away?” Lucy asked.

“No that is the biggest mistake you made in your theory, Lucy. These people that you have encountered aren’t descendants of the Olympians or mages masquerading as them, they are the Olympians from the Age of Legends long past.” The Celestial Spirit King announced gravely.

Lucy was sure her jaw dropped at that revelation. “B-But that means…” She began.

“Yes, it means that the same tyrants that almost broke Earthland are walking it again, their seal finally coming undone because of some unknown reason. Perhaps time, perhaps something more nefarious.” He finished.

Lucy stayed silent as she tried to process what she had just heard. Meanwhile, Laxus, who was now standing, let out a laugh. “That was a good story old man!” He shouted.

Lucy was worried the Celestial Spirit King might smite Laxus or something to that extent but the spirit also laughed. “It is an interesting story isn’t it?” He asked while he stroked one side of his mustache.

“What do they want?” Lucy asked, a simple question but the most important one.

The Celestial Spirit King sighed and looked off into the distance. “That remains a mystery. They seem to be laying low for now at least, maybe they’re worried about the strength of the mages in this age. Especially considering they are divided.”

“Divided?” She asked.

“The Olympians were never a cohesive group and it seems, from your experience, that nothing has changed in that regard.” He explained.

“That makes sense.” Lucy said, surprised that she hadn’t pieced that part together herself.

The Celestial Spirit King stood up, floating in the endless space. “So tell me Lucy, will you continue to pursue Dionysus, diving headfirst into the unknown against possibly insurmountable odds?” He asked and stared straight at her, his red eyes piercing into her.

Lucy felt herself falter, now that the more of the situation had been revealed to her she wasn’t so sure of herself, she had to admit the unavoidable fact that she was in over her head. But then she remembered what Natsu had said to her, what Gray and Erza had said to her, how helpless she had felt watching Lisanna lay there unresponsive, how angry she had been at being dismissed over and over again the past couple days, and she knew there was only one answer she could give. She stared up directly into the Celestial Spirit’s King’s eyes. “Yes.” She said, surprised at how stable her voice was.

The Celestial Spirit King’s face split into a grin and he lowered his head to her. “As I expected. I’ll be watching you, old friend.” He said and suddenly Lucy felt familiar feeling of the world falling out from under her again.

When Lucy opened her eyes again she found herself back in the magic shop, only a few paces away from where she had disappeared earlier, and dressed in the clothes she remembered wearing before being summoned to the Celestial Spirit World. Laxus was behind her and she heard him gasp. “Blondie! I just had the wildest dream and you were there!” He said and when she turned to look at him, he had a mischievous look on his face. “Not the kind of dream I would expect to have of you.” He said and Lucy punched him in the chest with all of her strength, equal parts embarrassed at the comment and angry at how her hand likely hurt more than his chest.

Lucy suddenly noticed as she glanced past Laxus through the display window that it was nighttime outside, the streets empty except for a couple stumbling along the street. _“We weren’t gone for that long…Does time work differently in the Celestial Spirit World?”_ Lucy thought, bewildered at the possibility.

Before she could ponder the thought anymore however, she heard the sound of someone gasping in pain, followed by yelling. “How could you lose such a valuable grab! Those keys could’ve been a fortune for me!” A gruff voice shouted and was followed by another yelp. Lucy could tell that the voices were coming from behind the curtain at the back of the shop.

“I’m sorry master.” A woman’s voice whimpered.

Lucy narrowed her eyes, quickly putting together that they were talking about her, and that the woman’s voice was most likely the thief. She looked at Laxus and pressed a finger to her lips, hoping he would be able to understand the gesture. He ran his finger over the his lips as if zipping them closed and threw an imaginary key behind him before giggling and covering his mouth with his hand. Lucy brought her hands up to her face and shook her head, wondering what she had done to deserve this for at least the fifth time that day.

Deciding that interacting with Laxus was a losing game, Lucy started to creep towards the back of the shop, not knowing exactly what she intended to do but hoping she would figure it out along the way. As she was nearing the counter, she heard a loud crash that echoed throughout the tiny shop. Lucy turned slowly towards the source of the noise and wasn’t surprised to see Laxus standing next to a shelf that had toppled into another, spilling all kinds of magic items across the floor. They locked eyes for a second before he quickly looked up at the ceiling.

“You absolute…” Lucy’s insult was cut short as two figures burst out from behind the curtain. Lucy recognized the orange-haired woman, this time with a developing bruise across her right cheek, and she was accompanied by an older man that reminded Lucy of a rat.

“Who are you? Breaking in is against the law!” The man said

Lucy stepped forwards and pointed at the man. “So is stealing! I bet the city guard will be interested in knowing how you get these magic items you sell!” She said.

“You wretched brat!” The man spat while grabbing the woman by her orange hair and thrusting her forwards. “Show your worth and take care of them.” He said in a commanding tone.

At the sight, Lucy rushed forwards, reached across the counter, grabbed the man by his tie, and pulled it down hard causing his head to collide with the table in front of him. He let out a gasp of pain and once Lucy let go of his tie, he scrambled back on his butt until he was against the back wall.

“Hell yeah Blondie!” Laxus cheered behind her and knocked over another shelf while jumping around.

“Don’t you ever disrespect a celestial spirit like that around me.” Lucy said, hoping her voice carried how furious she was.

The man and the woman looked shocked. “H-How did you know?” The woman asked.

Lucy softened her face and smiled as she looked at her. “I knew something was different about you when I first saw you but it took a trip to the Celestial Spirit World to remind me.” She explained. As soon as she entered the Celestial Spirit World, she could identify the strange feeling that had eluded her before.

The woman looked confused, no doubt about how a human had been allowed into the Celestial Spirit World but before she could say anything, the man grabbed her ankle. “Change forms you worthless spirit!” He commanded.

The celestial spirit was suddenly enveloped head to toe in a deep orange flame and the flame began to slowly change color from orange to a deep blue. The now azure flames dissipated and standing where the girl was, was now a raven-haired woman with piercing blue eyes. She pulled the black bandana off of her head, revealing two fox ears that matched her hair. She also had red marks on her face except they were bigger slash marks now that curved from her jaw to just under her eyes on both sides. She was holding what looked like a fox mask painted white and red. All of that along with three white-tipped tails that whipped side to side behind the woman left only one possibility of who she was.

Suddenly, Loke appeared beside Lucy in a flash. “Vulpecula the Fox, it’s been too long.” He said while adjusting the silver rings on his fingers.

Vulpecula’s lips curled into a small smile. “Too long indeed.” She said as she put the fox mask on the side of her head.

“Go Vulpecula you useless swine unless you want to be punished!” The man, now back on his feet, yelled as he stared daggers at Lucy.

Vulpecula grimaced and looked down for second before looking back up with a blank expression. “Yes, master.” She said and jumped up high into the air, flipping so that when she reached the ceiling her feet were pressed against it.

Loke pushed Lucy behind him, his fist already glowing. “Let me handle her.” He said as Vulpecula pushed off the ceiling, flying straight towards them.

“ **Fox Fire Axe!”** As Vulpecula fell, she flipped over and over in the air, picking up more and more speed as her foot was enveloped in blue flames.

Loke jumped up to meet her, his fist cocked behind him. “ **Regulus Impact!”** Loke’s fist collided with Vulpecula’s foot and created a bright explosion of blue and gold magic.

The two spirits both landed on their feet in a crouched position a few feet from each other. “I don’t enjoy this.” Vulpecula said as she stood up.

“And yet it is our duty.” Loke said solemnly.

Vulpecula nodded as she began to wave her hands in the air, and a magic seal appeared before her. **“Fox Fire Festival.”** She chanted and a circle of flaming blue orbs appeared around her.

Lucy was engrossed by the fight and making sure Loke was okay until suddenly she felt a sharp point press against back. “Call off your spirit and give me your keys Blondie.” Lucy felt the hot, putrid breath of Vulpecula’s owner behind her. Lucy tried to stay calm but she felt her heart race as she thought of what to do.

“I’ll never give you my keys, scum like you should’ve never gotten a key.” Lucy spat out. She felt the man press closer to her and a wave of revulsion ran through her body.

“Well aren’t you a feisty blondie, I like tha-.” Before he could finish he gasped in pain as Lucy whipped her head back to collide with his. He backed away with his hand pressed against his face, blood already pouring out of his nose.

“Y-You bitch! You’re going to regret that Blondie!” He snarled and lunged forward with his knife raised. Lucy willed her body to move faster, but knew the knife would connect, and braced herself for it. However, before the knife could get close enough to hurt her, a tiny bolt of lightning shot at the man and shocked his hand causing him to drop the knife.

“Only I call her Blondie, rat man.” Laxus said and Lucy saw that he was holding up his fingers like a gun towards the man.

The man glared at Laxus, his face covered in blood from his nose while he held his shocked hand with his other. His gaze shifted to the knife on the floor at his feet but before he could reach for it, Laxus shot another lightning bolt from the tip of his finger that shot at the knife, and sent it flying across the floor. “I wouldn’t do that, dummy.” Laxus said as he waved his index finger back and forth.

Lucy took the opportunity as she saw it. **“Lucy Kick!”** She kicked the man between the legs as hard as she could. His eyes rolled up and he let out a soundless gasp of pain as he sunk to his knees. Lucy pressed her boot against his chest and pushed him down to the ground. “That was a good idea before, call of your spirit.” Lucy said, her voice as cold and sharp as steel.

“As if I would d-.” The man let out a pained wheeze as Lucy pressed down harder against his chest.

“I won’t say it again, call off Vulpecula or my friend here will show you that he can do much more than shoot little bolts of lightning.” Lucy threatened the man and heard Laxus growl in a very unthreatening way. _“I’ll never let him live this down…”_ Lucy thought.

The man’s eyes darted left and right before they settled on Lucy. “Fine…” He said and Lucy slowly lifted her foot off of his chest. He sat up with his back against the counter. He glared at her before he shifted to Vulpecula who was still locked in combat with Loke, the two spirits trading blow for blow. Vulpecula rushed towards Loke, feinting to the right, and then spinning with her leg extended to kick Loke. Just before she connected though the man spoke up. “Vulpecula! Stop.” He barked the order and her leg stopped inches away from Loke’s face. She lowered her leg slowly and the the blue flames dancing around her disappeared.

The man reached into his shirt and brought out a key on chain around his neck. He held it up and Vulpecula disappeared into golden particles. Lucy kneeled down until she was face to face with him. “Good choice. Now break your contract.” Lucy said. There was no way she would leave the shop without helping Vulpecula.

“You really expect me to do that?” He asked scornfully.

“I would do what she said.” Loke said from behind her, his voice stone cold.

“Touché.” Laxus said and Lucy turned her head to look back at him. He was wearing a self satisfied smirk and Lucy rolled her eyes before turning back to the man.

The man was once again looking side to side and Lucy would bet he was weighing his options. He must’ve come to the conclusion that running wouldn’t work as he cursed under his breath and lifted the chain around his neck over his head. Along with Vulpecula’s silver key which was fashioned with fox ears, there was another silver key with wings sprouting on the head. “Spirit of the Fox, spirit of the Eagle, I, James Ambers, call upon you and absolve you of your contract.” He chanted as the keys started to glow before dying down a few seconds later.

Lucy stood up and reached her hand down towards the man. He raised his hand in an attempt to grab hers but Lucy quickly withdrew her hands and scoffed. “The keys.” She said and he muttered unintelligibly before throwing the chain up at her. She caught it and held the keys tightly in her hand.

“Don’t you dare do anything like this again or I will be back to deal with you.” Lucy warned in as a severe voice as she could muster before turning and walking towards the door, Laxus and Loke following only a step behind.

Lucy tried opening the door but it was locked so Loke stepped in front of her and kicked it open, holding it open for her and sweeping his hand towards the outside. They all left the building and Loke slammed the broken door shut behind them.

As soon as the door closed, Lucy let out a sigh of relief, and bent over with her hands on her knees. “That was more stress than I needed.” She breathed out.

“You did beautifully my Princess! I can’t describe how proud I am of you, although a little reckless I might add.” Loke gushed over her.

Lucy straightened with a smile and held out the two silver keys towards her spirit. “I can’t standby when something like this happens. Please take them back to the Celestial Spirit World. I didn’t do this to steal keys, I did it to help these spirits.” Lucy said.

Loke grabbed the keys in his hand and nodded at Lucy. “Of course, Princess.” Loke said before he dissipated.

 _“Well there goes another exciting event in the life of Lucy Heartfilia. I don’t know how much more I can handle this week.”_ Lucy thought, suddenly feeling very exhausted. 

“Let’s go to a bar, Blondie! The night is young!” Laxus surprised Lucy with lifting her up bridal style. She yelped and looked up at the dragon slayer who was wearing a beaming smile.

Lucy pounded on his chest while squirming in his arms. “Let go of me!” She yelled, upset at how little she seemed to be doing against the man.

Loke frowned down at her. “Stop moving, imma drop you.”

“Let go!” Lucy shrieked again and suddenly she felt herself falling. Laxus had dumped her onto a grassy section next one of the many azalea bushes lining the street. She quickly decided that she needed to solve her Laxus problem before she killed the man, or at least attempted to.

“Are you staying someplace Laxus?” Lucy asked. Laxus told her he had a room at an inn called the Flower’s Dream and Lucy thankfully recognized the name from a building they had passed earlier looking for the magic shop. If she remembered correctly, it was only a block or two down the road.

Lucy grabbed Laxus’ surprisingly soft yet firm hand, a thought she didn’t enjoy being in her head, and for what seemed to be the 100th time that day, forcefully led him down the road. Laxus giggled and babbled as they walked while Lucy talked to him distractedly until they finally arrived at the inn. They entered the bright red building. The first floor was mainly taken up by a large dining room which Lucy was sure was packed a couple of hours ago but it was long past happy hour and the only ones left in the room were barmaids cleaning and a drunk or two passed out on a chair at the bar.

Lucy led Laxus over to a barmaid wiping a table down. “Hello is there anyway you can tell me which room is rented out to him.” Lucy gestured to Laxus who was currently looking crosseyed at a lock of blonde hair that had drooped between his eyes.

The barmaid blushed as she looked at him but then let out a squeak and turned back to Lucy. Lucy thought she saw the woman glare at her. “I wasn’t aware Mr. Dreyar was involved with someone…I can lead you to his room.”

“We’re not inv-…never mind, thank you.” Lucy said exasperatedly, not finding the energy to argue anymore. The barmaid turned and led them upstairs, down a hallway, and then finally stopped at a door. Lucy thanked her once again and the barmaid curtsied stiffly, this time definitely glaring at Lucy before brushing past them. 

Lucy opened the door, having to fish out of the key from Laxus’ coat pocket for him, and was surprised at the size of the room. There was a large bed with heaps of blankets and pillows on it, a wooden chest at the foot of the bed with a large rucksack she assumed was Laxus’ sitting on top of it, a couch across the room, an simple wooden table with three matching chairs, and another door that Lucy assumed would lead to a bathroom.

Laxus went straight for the bed, shedding clothes with every step. His shoes, his coat, his shirt, and by the time he reached his bed he was fiddling with his belt. Lucy blushed as she looked at the muscular plane of the dragon slayer’s back, somehow unable to take her eyes off of him. He finally figured out his belt and took it off too, throwing it to the side, and then finally noticing Lucy’s staring.

He turned to her, exposing his muscular chest along with chiseled abs. “Like something you see Blondie?” He asked with a smirk on his face and wiggled his eyebrows. Lucy snapped out of her trance of examining Laxus’ tattoo that stretched from his left shoulder and down his bulging pec.

She felt her face grow even hotter if that were possible. “Shut up you…”Lucy found herself at a loss for words, completely flustered.

Laxus jumped into the bed, landing on his back, and bouncing a few times before he settled. He started to strip off his socks and made a move to undo the zipper on his pants before he looked at her again. “Well are you going to get in bed?” He asked with a teasing tone in his voice.

Lucy opened and closed her mouth multiple times, trying to find something to say. “Or you can sleep on the couch if you want.” He gestured over to the couch. “I promise I don’t bite… that much.” He giggled and held out his pinky.

“You’re not funny! N-Now that you’re…settled I’ll leave.” Lucy said and took a few steps back until she felt the door against her back.

Laxus face shifted from a smirk into a pout, his bottom lip sticking out and his eyebrows furrowing. “C’moooooon! It’s not much of a sleepover if it’s just me.” He whined.

Lucy sighed and was surprised that she was even considering the offer. She didn’t have a room of her own and she doubted she could find one so late at night. Finally, she reached a decision that shocked her. “Fine I’ll stay.” She mumbled and Laxus cheered, stripping off his pants in one fluid movement, and Lucy twisted her head away so fast she wouldn’t be surprised if she had got whiplash. “On the couch!” She added.

Laxus snickered as he burrowed under his blankets and before Lucy had even reached the couch, she heard loud, room-shaking snores coming from the dragon slayer. She set her bag down with a sigh, taking one of the blankets off of Laxus, and settled on the plush couch.

Lucy took her hair out of her ponytail, running her hands through her hair, and let out a moan. She laid down, throwing the blanket over her, and as soon as she did, she felt the exhaustion hit her hard. Her eyelids becoming heavier by the second, she had one last thought before she felt herself fall asleep. _“What fresh hell will tomorrow bring?”_


End file.
